Gold Stranger
by Darien Fawkes
Summary: The Gold Ranger shows up in Summer Cove having been released from the Warrior Dome, leading to both sides racing to find him. However, when even the Gold Ranger isn't certain of who he is, how will the Rangers be able to figure out if he's friend or foe?
1. Chapter 1

**Legal:** I do not own Power Rangers, or the associated names, places, characters, events etc. Anything not covered by these rights should be presumed to be purely the creation of the author.

 **Rating:** T – there will be some adult themes, including language and violence.

 **A/N:** Here it is folks, my version of the Gold Ranger arc. Hope you all enjoy it.

The Temple Hotel, one of many Tien family investments in the city, was one of the largest and most luxurious in the city. It had stood now for almost fifty years, and it was the envy of every other property in the city, even the other Tien hotels. To say that one had even stayed there was the kind of status symbol many people that lived within walking distance of the hotel would save for weeks to attain.

It was a classic old building, modelled after some of the beautiful palaces of Europe. It had existed long before Marcus Tien even entered the business world, and he had the good fortune to stay there once while on a business trip to close a deal on behalf of an investor. He became obsessed with it after that, and through all his years, when he started investing the commissions he earned to begin his own businesses, it was always his fondest dream to one day own The Temple. He had achieved that dream almost fifteen years ago, and it now stood as one of his favourite and most enduring legacies.

The hotel was normally busy. Despite the price tag for the rooms, there were numerous contracts for local businesses ferrying in workers from all over the world meaning that it was rarely any less than eighty percent full. However, today it looked more like a military operation than a hotel with all the staff preparing the grounds, and the General, Marcus Tien, was right in the thick of it, awaiting his VIP arrival.

"These plants look droopy!" He complained out loud, calling over his operations manager. "These plants look like they're dying!"

"Sir, they're uh...meant to look like that." The Operations Manager told him.

"Do you think I want Levi Weston seeing dying plants in my lobby? Do you think I want to see him turn around and go across the street to the Marriott?" He screamed at him. "Get on the phone and get these plants changed now or start looking for a new job!"

The Operations Manager ran off, his phone in his hand, contacting their florist to replace the plants as soon as possible. Mr Tien turned as a woman rushed over to him.

"Mr Tien, he's here!" She rushed out. Mr Tien started straightening out his hair and his suit.

"He's here? Already?" He asked. "How do I look?"

"You look..."

"Never mind that now!" Mr Tien said, brushing her off as he headed outside, finding a limousine pulling up. It was black, with a gold stripe down the side, and bull horns on the hood. There were photographers all around, flashes going off like a bombing run as security held them back. A tall, black man in a suit and wearing a Stetson got out the passenger door to direct people in order to make sure the entry way, which had a red carpet rolled out in preparation, was clear.

"Alright folks, you'll all get your chance for pictures soon enough!" The man called out as he gestured to the driver. He opened the door, at which a man stepped out. He was tall, with a healthy build, dark-skinned, and despite the formal surroundings, he was wearing simply a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, with a white Stetson topping off the look. The whole crowd started cheering and there were some women, and even a few men going weak at the knees, looking like soon they were going to need medical attention as he stood up to full height, tipping back his hat to reveal his face, and his famous smile.

"How y'all doin' Summer Cove?" He called out in greeting. This was Levi Weston, country music sensation and global superstar! He was a phenomenon even within the genre that seemed to come from virtually nowhere and captured the hearts of people, many of whom never even listened to country music before in their lives! His poster graved bedroom walls all across the world, and he was frequently the star of many explicit dreams all over the world. Although only in his early twenties, he was already in high demand, and the speculation surrounding his upcoming second album and world tour was like a tidal wave. He started to make his way towards the doors, stopping to pose for a couple of selfies. He knew he had a schedule to keep, but he had an unofficial policy of always letting at least a couple of autographs and selfies with kids.

"Come on Levi, get in here!" The other man, his manager Tom called out. He gestured Levi to get inside. Tom was diligent in his duties, but could be a little bit of anal when it came to his schedule and keeping Levi safe.

"Relax Tom, you'll live longer!" Levi teased him. He almost bumped into Marcus Tien as he stopped waving to fans and turned to enter. Mr Tien was standing almost chest-to-chest with him, well inside his personal space, and smiling in a way that looked like his face was about to rip in half. Levi was somewhat used to this, people did forget about personal boundaries at times. Mr Tien shook his hand enthusiastically.

"Mr Weston! Welcome to The Temple Hotel!" Marcus greeted him, shaking his hand strongly. Levi put a hand on his shoulder to hold him in place while he took a step back. He was a little freaked out by how everyone thought it was their right to touch him or grab him any time they saw him. He was a tactile guy, and he would regularly high-five, shake hand with, fist-bump or even hug his friends regularly, but it wasn't the first time people would just randomly grab him, pinch his ass, hug him, all without even asking. He had developed this as a way of getting his personal space back without having to bring up the uncomfortable conversation of just asking someone to stop touching him. Of course...there was another somewhat less comfortable way around this too.

"Sorry, no touching." Tom said as he stepped in between them. "Mr Weston has a busy schedule the next few months, and we can't have him getting sick now. No touching."

"Oh, yes, of course!" Mr Tein said as he gestured into the hotel. Tom offered him some hand sanitiser, but Levi just shook his head in disbelief and walked in with Mr Tien. "We've prepared the Presidential Suite for you Mr Weston, and the entire floor is shut off purely for you and your team. All the elevators are key-card coded, so you won't be disturbed."

"I hope you're at least letting the housekeepers up." Levi chuckled. "I'm not a fussy guy but I like a fresh set of towels in the morning."

"YOU THERE!" Mr Tien called out to one of the housekeepers. "A fresh set of towels to the Presidential Suite, RIGHT NOW!"

"That's really not...oh...ok." Levi said as he watched this scene unfold. People had kind of a habit of treating him like he was something special, like the world would fall apart if there was something that in the least way inconvenienced him. Mr Tien took him into the elevator and used his keycard to take Levi and Tom up to the room personally.

Up on the Warrior Dome, things were hectic, far more than usual. While Cosmo was a big believer in the old adage 'the show must go on', even he was alarmed by the fact that the Gold Ranger had gotten onto the ship without anyone knowing how. It was an uncomfortable thought, but the leading theory was that the only way for him to have gotten onto the ship without alerting security would be if he was brought aboard. That meant there was a traitor on board!

Cosmo was leaning back in his chair, his feet crossed on the desk as he puffed his cigar, while his senior staff, Ripcon, Madame Odious and Wrench were all standing in the room. Right now, Galvanax had the floor, or more accurately had TAKEN the floor, venting his frustrations.

"We've been at this for WEEKS!" Galvanax screamed, slamming a fist into the desk. "The Gold Ranger has destroyed five of my warriors already!"

"He's definitely a canny one, far too dangerous to take lightly!" Ripcon added. "Let me go champ! I'll bring back his head..."

"I don't want his head, I want HIM!" Galvanax screamed at him, grabbing Ripcon by the coat, shaking him violently. "Someone let him on my ship and I want to know WHO! Once I've made him talk, I can destroy him AND the traitor myself!"

"A fine idea champ, one I can easily sell the networks." Cosmo told him. He looked over to Madame Odious, who was silent on the whole issue. Madame Odious was not one to speak without consideration. She always planned everything she said and did; with a dozen or more contingency plans in place for if her original plan went slightly awry. "Madame Odious, care to inject a thought into this?"

"What else is there to say?" She answered with a shrug. "Until we hear from the Gold Ranger, there really is nothing else I can add."

Wrench just glanced wordlessly in her direction. This was a complete lie and he knew it. The Astro Zord had punched a hole in the ship that exposed Odious' secret lab. He had stumbled on it himself, but she had warned, more accurately threatened him to keep his mouth shut about it. He suspected that the Gold Ranger had to be one of the humans he had seen in her lab, since both of them were now gone, and while the lab had been searched for clues, nothing had pointed to Odious. She had covered her tracks well meaning the only danger she was in was if he spoke up about what he knew. Of course a part of him wondered, if he spoke up now, what would they think about the fact he had been silent up until now? He had known about the lab for weeks without telling anyone.

"Maybe we should send someone more powerful." Wrench suggested. "I have some ideas..."

"Are we really listening to this rust-bucket?" Ripcon demanded. Comso just puffed a smoke ring into the air.

"He's had a better success rate as a talent scout than you have Ripcon." Cosmo reminded him. "Hacktrack almost obliterated the whole lot of them!"

"But I have..."

"Wrench, do you have someone in mind?" Cosmo interrupted him.

"I've already got him trained up in my tracking technology." Wrench said with a note of pride in his voice. "All I need is the word and he's on the hunt."

"Unleash your hunting dog Wrench." Comso told him. "Make sure the Buzz-cams capture everything."

Back at the hotel, Levi, Tom and Mr Tien were riding up in the elevator, approaching the top floor. Levi could see Mr Tien fidgeting and bouncing, the inevitable sign of excitement he was used to seeing in people who met him.

"I have to say Mr Weston, I am a HUGE fan!" Mr Tien said with a grin. "I love that song 'I'll be here'...I play it all the time in my office!"

"Yeah, that's great." Levi said, restraining himself from pointing out the fact that the song was actually called 'I'll be THERE'. He had every confidence that Mr Tien only really saw him as a walking ATM, and was just buttering him up in the hopes of getting him to spend more money in house. The bump in business just by being able to say that Levi had stayed there was already worth a pretty penny to him. As they stepped out of the elevator, Mr Tien directed them.

"Your suite is right down the end of the hall." Mr Tien told him.

"That's good, that's good." Tom chipped in. "This room right here, if anything's being delivered, I don't care what it is, towels, room service, anything, it goes here. No one talks to Mr Weston directly!"

"Of course, of course..."

"I'll make you aware of Mr Weston's schedule, housekeeping are only to go into his room when he's not there is that understood?" Tom asked.

"Tom...one of these days you're going to realise I actually LIKE people." Levi teased his manager. Mr Tien let them into the room, showing them around.

"This is the lounge; your bedroom is right through there." Mr Tien told him. "The Jacuzzi is that way; the balcony is right out..."

"Is this the water I ordered?" Levi asked, pointing to an ice bucket.

"Yes, imported from..."

"Seriously Mr Tien, I only asked for water, I'm not a fussy guy!" Levi assured him. "When I was a kid I drank from the well in the yard."

"Thanks for everything Mr Tien." Tom said, showing him to the door.

"If there's anything else, feel free to call!" Mr Tien stated as Tom slammed the door on him. He rolled his eyes.

"Man that guy wouldn't take a hint." Tom grumbled. Levi just looked around the hotel room. "Hey, this place is pretty dope right?"

"This place is bigger than the farm house we grew up in." Levi said with a smirk.

Levi was still piecing his memories back together after his abduction. He was getting there, but being around familiar people, places and things was helping him sort out the jumble of memories he did have. The memories were there, but they were mixed up, like the aliens that had taken him had taken his life and shoved it in a blender. He would have difficulty remembering the difference between where he had spent his 16th birthday and what the weather was like on the day he graduated, but more of it was making sense now.

It helped that he established early on that he was famous. It was a little eerie and quite bizarre that he was able to read about his own life quite extensively. He already had an autobiography, something he wasn't sure why anyone thought was necessary since his music career was only a couple of years in, and there were numerous magazine articles and interviews where he could piece together things and trigger a few memories.

"Levi, I swear, one of these days you're going to get that we don't have to live on a farm anymore." Tom laughed as he hugged him. Tom was his manager, but he was also his 'brother'. Tom's father, "General" Tom Weston Senior, had been a musician too, and on one of his tours, taking him through Texas, he had found a young Levi busking on the street, trying to scrape together enough money for a meal. He had been impressed by the young boy's talent, and genuinely moved when he found out that Levi was homeless, and had taken him in. Levi had grown up in the Weston homestead ever since, following in the General's footsteps.

Tom took his duties as his manager seriously, but he was so protective largely because the two had grown up as brothers. Levi parted from him and smiled.

"I tell you what, I don't know why you insisted on coming here, after so long in the styx I'd have thought a bit of big city living would be just what the doctor ordered." Tom said as he took the water bottle from Levi. "Now, I know you don't like everyone making a fuss and everything, but me, I like me a good massage and a seaweed wrap!"

"Well you go enjoy that." Levi replied as he took another bottle. "I'll just stay here, maybe order myself a cheeseburger."

"Cheeseburger?" Tom laughed. "Dude, in a place like this you don't order a cheeseburger, you order the fillet steak or the..."

"Since I'm paying the bill, the way I look at it I should be able to order whatever I want." Levi responded. It was a conversation the two of them had a few times in their lives. While Tom had grown up with his dad touring, and was used to all the little luxuries that came with it, only even going to the family farm which he was sure his dad only kept to 'keep in touch with his roots', whatever that meant, but for Levi, he seemed to be a lot more of a country boy by heart. He seemed a lot happier on the farm than he did in the cities, and his tastes were a lot more modest. Tom just waved over his shoulder as he left Levi to get settled in.

Levi was grateful for Tom, he really was. There was something familiar about him that helped him get most of his memories back. They really were close, and he knew Tom genuinely cared for him. Tom had, at one time, had a music career of his own, with some moderate success, but both he and Levi quickly realised Levi was the horse to back in that race, and Tom had moved to management.

Tom didn't know why Levi wanted to come to Summer Cove. Honestly Levi didn't know either, but so far it was the most familiar place he had found. He felt a connection to the city, even if he didn't really know why. He knew he had been through here on tour a couple of times, and presumed that was why he seemed to know so much of the city.

Going out onto the balcony, he looked out over the city as he took a sip of his water. His balcony had an amazing view, one which incorporated the arena he would be holding a concert in very shortly. He had found his way back to his cabin after freeing himself from the alien ship, and after contacting Tom, the first name he found on his cell phone, he had quickly been swept into preparations for a tour. He had gone to the cabin to prepare songs for his new album, and since that was the last memory he had, he presumed he had been kidnapped from there. Tom had told him he just fell off the radar, not contacting anyone for months, which had raised concerns especially among the record company who were keen to get Levi back out and publicising his new work, and so had rushed him into getting ready for a tour, booking dates as soon as they could. He had only gone along with it because being around familiar people was helping him straighten out who he was in his head.

He looked down into the city, resting his elbows on the guard rail as he pulled his Power Star out of his pocket. He didn't know what it was, but he did know that it was his. It seemed to call to him, and in times of need it lent him incredible power. It had been this star which gave him the strength to escape the space ship. It also did something else though, right now, it started to call to him, but this was a very different call. This was a call to action. Someone needed his help!

He looked around, trying to figure out which direction the call was coming from, and as soon as he figured it out, he took a deep breath as he took a few steps back. He ran, leaping up onto the guard rail of the balcony, before leaping off into the unknown, transforming as he did so.


	2. One Step Behind

In the Ranger Base, Hayley and Calvin came in, finding the others hanging around between classes. More and more they had found themselves using the base as more than just a base for Ranger duties. Since, as far as anyone was concerned the paint room was still out of action as a result of Victor blowing up the compressor earlier in the year, no one ever went there. Thanks to Mick's secret entrances, they didn't even need to worry about any students working on extra credit projects in the Shop Class seeing them go in and out, and as such it was just a good place for them to go to get a bit of peace and quiet.

"Hey there." Preston said, seeing them arrive. "What gives? I thought you two were going on a lunch date."

"Well, we were, but then I caught a whiff of Monty's lunch and lost my appetite." Calvin said as he got there, looking rather decidedly ill. "His mom actually paired scrambled eggs, pickled gherkins and coleslaw! Ugh!"

"That boy would no doubt be an intriguing study in genetics." Mick commented. "His mother clearly has no sense of taste or smell, and by the sounds of things he doesn't either."

"So what are you guys up to?" Calvin asked as he saw them working on computers.

"Well, we were just tracking the Gold Ranger's appearances since he showed up after that battle with Hacktrak." Preston told them. "We were trying to figure out if there was some pattern to where he showed up."

"Did you find anything?" Hayley asked them. Brody just shrugged.

"Unless the guy has some kind of predilection for misshapen hedgehogs his appearances have been random." Brody said in response.

"Mind if I ask a question?" Calvin chipped in. "Why are we looking for him again?"

"Calvin..."

"No, I mean seriously, this guy's been running around for weeks now and he's not made one move against us." Calvin told them. "In fact if anything since he's shown up, things have been downright boring for us. About half a dozen monsters have shown up and he's taken them out before we even get there every time. We haven't had to so much as raise one sword since we took down Hacktrack."

"He's kind of got a point." Preston conceded. "Don't get me wrong I'd love to know who he is but if he's doing good, maybe we can cut him a little slack."

"He's running around with a Ninja Power Star." Mick reminded him, looking more than a little concerned. "That's a hell of a lot of power for just anyone to be walking around with."

"Mick's right. This guy might genuinely be a good person, but when he's walking around with that kind of firepower we really need to know who he is and what his intentions are." Brody agreed as he checked over some of the footage and eyewitness accounts of the Gold Ranger's battles. There really wasn't much to go on; the odd clip loaded to YouTube from a cell phone here, a questionable account from some witness of questionable reliability there. In all, it was difficult to separate fact from fiction. "These monsters, they've been sent to the city, but with little or no advanced warning. Cosmo's usually not shy about letting us know when he's on the move. If anything he wants to make sure everyone knows he's making moves."

"Well, that makes sense. How does he get an audience if no one knows when the show is on?" Preston asked. "So why is he so quiet now?"

"I know I stop barking when I'm trying to get close to a squirrel or something." Kody said, causing Hayley to look around at him. "Cats, I just want them to get the hell out my way so I bark like nobody's business, but squirrels, rabbits, things I want to eat...I like to get close to."

"Guys, Kody just gave me an idea." Hayley told them. Thanks to her exposure to the Ninja Steel enhancing her desire to communicate, to bring together those that were separated by difference languages she had been left with an innate ability to learn language. She only needed to hear or see a small amount of communication in any language and her mind started making the connections as to how that language was constructed, giving her an innate ability to understand and even to speak that language, even when she wasn't consciously aware she was doing it. "He was just saying that he barks a lot when chasing cats, but not when chasing rabbits and stuff he wants to hunt."

"That makes a lot of sense." Brody said, getting a thought. "This doesn't seem like Cosmo, this feels a lot more like Ripcon's playbook. I think they're hunting him."

"That's all the more reason we should focus our efforts and try to get to him first." Mick said as he tapped his computer screen. "This guy might have good intentions but whether he knows it or not, he could be in a lot of danger. Each of you have five other people to watch your backs, he doesn't."

"That is an excellent point." Hayley said, noticing that Sarah was unusually quiet as she worked away on her computer. "Which is why I'm sure Sarah's silence means she's found..."

"HEY!" Sarah called out as Hayley pulled her away from the computer, checking her screen. Sarah had indeed found something, but it wasn't anything like what she was expecting. "I...I was just..."

"Oh I can see what you were doing!" Hayley laughed, marvelling at what she was. "You were cyber-stalking Levi Weston!" Preston and Calvin both rushed over to the computer to look, while Brody, Redbot and Mick all just looked at each other, unclear as to what was going on.

"Who?" They all chorused together.

"Is he the one that makes denims?" Redbot asked as a follow-up question.

"Levi Weston is only one of the biggest breakout acts on the planet right now!" Preston said with a bright grin as he looked to Sarah. "I didn't know you were a fan!"

"He's a singer?" Brody asked, his tone indicating that he was not at all certain why Sarah would be looking him up when they were trying to find clues as to the identity of the Gold Ranger. "Do you think he has something to do with this?"

"Um...well..."

"Oh, only in her own personal fanfiction with her as the romantic lead!" Hayley teased her, seeing the distinct shade of pink Sarah was starting to turn.

"OK, I was...trying to find out where and when his personal appearance is." Sarah told them. "Before every concert..."

"He has a free meet-and-greet for fans." Calvin concluded. "Fans that turn up in costume can win a backstage pass."

"So...this is about a concert?" Brody asked. "Not about the Gold Ranger? Sarah, I expected more from you..."

"Brody, we've gone over every supermarket tabloid, YouTube video, blurry Instagram and Facebook photo and every paranoid delusional conspiracy nutcase's website there is with a reference to the Gold Ninja Ranger. If there was something in there of any use we'd have found it by now." Sarah said. "So until we find anything new I was just seeing if there was some way I could...be at that meet-and-greet."

"And is there?" Brody asked her.

"Unfortunately no." She said, looking glum. "It's in the mall tomorrow during the day. I'd have to skip school; I'd never be able to go."

"So this is pointless." Brody commented.

"It looks that way." Sarah answered.

"Alright, so can we get back to work now?" He asked, gesturing back to his own computer. As they all went back to work, Hayley just patted Sarah on the shoulder.

"Hey, I completely understand." The White Ranger said with a smile. "He's my hall pass."

"Wait...what now?" Calvin asked.

"He's a piece of paper that lets you go to the bathroom?" Mick asked her.

"No, silly!" Hayley chuckled. "When Calvin and I got together we were both allowed to name one person that if we ever got the opportunity to...you know...date, then we were allowed and the other wouldn't count it as cheating."

"Yeah, um...I thought we were joking about that!" Calvin said, holding up a hand. Just then, the school announce system kicked in.

"All students and staff please be advised that tomorrow, due to unforeseen essential maintenance of...um...the...uh...fire safety system, the school will be closed." Principal Hastings called over the speakers. The cheer was so loud it could be heard even in the paint room, and it even kept the tool sounds from Mick's forge from being heard outside! "Yes, I know you're all disappointed, but the heating system needs an upgrade, and that means mess and workmen and...this extends to staff as well as students. Good day!"

"So which is it? Is the school closed because of the alarm system or the heating?" Mick asked.

"Something tells me that Principal Hastings might just be a Levi Weston fan too." Preston said with a knowing smile.

"Whatever, can we stop talking about Levi Weston?" Brody blurted out impatiently. "We still have to find the Gold Ranger..."

Just then, the alarms started blaring. Mick pulled up the details.

"It's the parking garage, across the street from the Temple Hotel." Mick informed them.

"Come on." Brody stated. "It's not that far, if we're fast, maybe we can get there in time!"

Meanwhile, in the school parking lot, Ace and his crew were gathered around his car while he bragged about his latest set of upgrades. His girlfriend, Sherrie, was sitting in the passenger seat looking bored out of her mind while the guys all drooled over the car.

"I'm telling you, this thing could dust anything on the road. I could probably take this thing on the drag circuit." He said with pride. "Not that I would of course, why would I want the pink slip to some loser's POS when I have this baby?"

"Dude, I do not want to tell you what I would do to own a car like this!" One of his hangers on stated. "I'm not kidding you, the things I'd let someone do to get something like this are illegal in like all fifty states!"

"Speaking of illegal in fifty states, look who it is." Ace said as he saw Monty walking through the parking lot. "Hey, aren't there watch-lists for people like you?"

Monty just ignored him and started to walk faster.

"Hey, I'm talking to you dweeb!" Ace said as he hopped out his car and started to make his way over. He grabbed Monty, spinning him around. "I said I'm talking to you!"

"Ace, I have some extra credit work for science..."

"I think the LAST thing you need is to be tinkering around with any of that science stuff." Ace said, ripping the books out of his hands and throwing them on the ground. "The school board and the cops might have let you off on some weaksauce technicality..."

"I was a minor!" Monty whined in response. Ace just grabbed him. "I wasn't let off; my record will be expunged when I turn 18!"

"You think I give a shit about that?" Ace asked him. "You tried to kill me you little shit!"

"Oh, there you are Monty!" Mrs Finch, his Science Teacher said as she arrived. Ace realised his opportunity had passed and let Monty go, at which the much smaller students straightened out his shirt. "Have you got those assignments I asked for?"

"Right here." Monty said as he bent down, retrieving his books from the ground.

"Splendid!" She replied as she led him away. Monty didn't listen to the rest of what she had to say, instead only casting a glance behind him at Ace. He hated the way he was treated; he hated it so much that one time he almost did something terrible to make it stop. It was the single biggest regret of his life one that he was still paying for two years later.

Meanwhile, the Rangers arrived outside the Parking Garage, hearing the sounds of battle already raging. The parted as a burning Kudabot was blasted out of the fifth floor of the complex, crashing to the concrete between them.

"Well, I think we can safely say the Gold Ranger beat us here." Calvin surmised.

"Hayley, Sarah, get onto the top and work your way down. Preston, Calvin, you're with me!" Brody instructed them. Hayley and Sarah leapt to the top of the building, while Brody, Calvin and Preston all ran in the main entrance. The whole complex was a large spiral formation, meaning that there was only one direction up or down. If the Gold Ranger came either way, they were bound to run into him.

Somewhere on the fourth floor, the monster Wrench had sent to find the Gold Ranger, Switchblade, was finding that his task was a lot more difficult than he had first thought. Wrench had assured him that there would only be one Ranger to battle, and that if he brought in one Ranger, then he would be able to name his price. Unfortunately he found that the Rangers were much tougher than the debtors he normally tracked down for the bookmakers on the Warrior Dome.

He still didn't know how things had turned so quickly, but after he arrived and started searching, his Kudabot comrades started disappearing. Over half of them were gone before he even realised that someone else was there. The Gold Ranger got the drop on them, taking down Kudabots one by one without so much as a sound until they finally spotted him. He had a feeling that even this was part of some plan. The Gold Ranger had been hunting THEM!

"Gold Ranger, I've found you!" He called out, trying to sound confident as two blades sprung out from his forearms and he rushed towards him. "You're coming with me!"

"Think again!" Levi answered as he rushed for him, swinging his weapon. Switchblade didn't stand a chance, being outmanoeuvred at every turn. Every time he took a swing, he caught nothing but air, and the Gold Ranger struck without warning from so many directions and so many times, he'd almost have swore there were more than one of him.

Switchblade fell to his knees, sparking as he felt his life leaving him. He looked to the Gold Ranger, who wasn't even looking in his direction.

"We were hunting you!" He gasped. "How did you...?"

With that, he exploded. Levi pressed a finger to the rim surrounding his helmet, looking a little like the rim of a Stetson, like he was tipping his hat to the monster as he fell. He placed his weapon across his shoulders.

"Honestly, I wish I knew." Levi responded honestly. His fighting, his techniques, everything came second-nature to him. His dad, The General, and Tom had taken him hunting many times back in Texas, so he had a few ideas of how to stalk big game, but what he was doing seemed a lot more like guerrilla warfare. There were still huge gaps in his memory, so he didn't know...was it possible he was trained in these things? Had he been a commando or some kind of Special Forces trooper? Or was it the Power Star that gave him this knowledge? He couldn't be certain. There was only one thing he was certain about, he heard footsteps coming towards him, and if someone was running towards the sound of a battle, then that could mean trouble for him. He quickly got his bearings, figuring out which direction his hotel was in and ran, leaping from the Parking Garage, ending up on his balcony. He de-morphed as he got there.

Moments after he left, Sarah and Hayley came from the upper level, while Brody, Preston and Calvin arrived from the lower level.

"Stop right..." Brody started to say, before seeing an all too familiar sight. There were pieces of Kudabots lying all around, and scorch marks from errant blaster fire, but there was no sign of the Gold Ranger. Once again, they were too late. "...there. Aw man, gone again!"

"Every time the monsters send someone down to catch the Gold Ranger, he takes them out!" Hayley complained.

"Yeah, and we miss him by a second!" Sarah added, kicking a Kudabot's disembodied head aside.

"Well, the good news is we can be pretty sure the bad guys didn't get him." Calvin stated.

"But it still brings us no closer to figuring out who the Gold Ranger is." Brody reminded them as he noticed Sarah going to the wall. He hadn't gone up the ramp, if he had Sarah or Hayley would have seen him, and if he'd gone down he'd have run straight into Brody, Preston and Calvin. It seemed only logical to think that meant he had to have leapt out of the side of the building. Given his Ranger Powers, he would have been able to make the jump.

"See anything?" Brody asked her.

"No, he's gone." She said, before looking up. "Oh...my...Hayley, get over here!"

"What?"

"Do you see him?" Brody asked, joining her.

"Get over here!" Sarah rushed out. "NOWNOWNOWNOWNOWNOW!" Hayley came to the side of the building, at which Sarah grabbed her helmet, tilting her head up to see the balcony of the hotel across the street.

"What?" Brody asked.

"Oh my God!" Hayley squealed. "Is that...?"

"LEVI WESTON!" Both the girls screamed together. Levi was resting his elbows on the balcony, overlooking the street. He could see them looking up at him and smiled. He tipped his hat to them, before disappearing inside.

"Oh my God, he's even cuter in real life!" Sarah started to hyperventilate. "Breathe Sarah, breathe, breathe, breathing is good..."

"Seriously, that's what all the fuss is about?" Brody asked. "Come on guys, this has been a waste of time. Let's go home. Maybe we'll have more luck tomorrow."

Meanwhile, across the street in his hotel, Levi went back into his room, smiling. When he got there, Tom was returning to the room.

"Levi, the masseuse in this place has the fingers of an angel!" He told him. "You ought to book yourself a session. I swear..."

"No thanks." Levi said with a smile. "When I want a girl to put her hands on me, I don't want to have to pay to make her want to."

"Hey, you're Levi Weston." Tom reminded him. "You snap your fingers in a room and half the girls and probably a lot of the guys would happily do it for free!"

"OK, that's not what I meant either." Levi chuckled. Tom looked around.

"I thought you were ordering room service." He commented.

"Well how could I order without my brother here?" Levi answered. "I've got my eye on the cheeseburger."

"Of course you do." Tom said as he picked up the phone. "Put me through to room service please."


	3. Autograph Hunting

On the Warrior Dome, Galvinax watched the footage of Switchblade being destroyed, over and over again he watched as the latest monster sent to get the Gold Ranger had fallen. Wrench in particular was nervously awaiting his outburst. Switchblade had been his pick for the latest monster to hunt for the elusive Gold Ranger. While Cosmo lauded the success of Galvinax as a competitor, Galvinax saw things slightly differently, though that was largely because he almost lost his sight when Sarah's virus fed through the control unit for the holo-clones, burning his eyes. It had been a long couple of weeks for him to regain his full vision. He mashed a finger down on the button to pause the footage as the Gold Ranger tipped the rim of his helmet.

"I...I...I can explain..."

"ENOUGH!" Galvinax roared as he rounded on Wrench. "You're as useless as everyone else on this ship!"

He brought his attention to Odious, glaring at her angrily.

"It's been weeks, and still none of you have been able to bring me the Gold Ranger!" Galvinax yelled at her.

"But with each failure from these two...gentlemen..." She said, emphasising the word to indicate her contempt for them both. "...We learn a little more about the Gold Ranger's strategies, his moves, his weapons and his strengths. Rest assured the next monster I send will be much more powerful!"

"And pigs will fly!" Ripcon interrupted her.

"Well, you WOULD be the authority on pigs now wouldn't you?" She asked. "We've all seen that picture of your mother!"

"No one's seen a picture of YOUR mother because you probably ate her after you were born!" Ripcon snapped back. He was still defensive about his mother, and of his background. He had worked hard to drag himself out of the muck and stench of The Sump, and he did not take kindly to anyone bringing it up. "SHE doesn't have what it takes. Let ME go to Earth and get the Gold Ranger!"

"You?" Wrench asked. "I thought you were after the Red Ranger! A feud I may add you are losing!"

"I NEVER LOST!" Ripcon screamed, pulling out one of his katana. Wrench produced his axe to defend himself, even though he doubted he would be able to do much if Ripcon did come for him. He just hoped that Odious, Galvanax and Cosmo would stop them before it really did come to blows.

"Boys, boys, you all know the rules. If you must fight, sign a contract and do it for the camera." Cosmo said, stepping between the two of them. Galvanax just growled and turned to face Ripcon as he put his katana away.

"Bring the Gold Ranger to me. He's going to tell me who brought him aboard my ship." Galvanax stated. "Then I'm going to rip that traitor apart!"

"I won't let you down champ!" Ripcon assured him.

"I'll be watching." Odious replied with a knowing smirk.

"Enjoy the show!" Ripcon said as he walked out the room. Galvinax pointed to the door.

"Now THAT is a monster that gets things done!" He announced. "No hiding behind lackeys for Ripon, he's the first one of you to offer to do something about this yourselves."

"Indeed. He WAS quick to offer to go." Odious said, casting a glance Wrench's way. "Perhaps a little...too quick."

"What? What's that meant to mean?" Galvinax asked. Odious kept her eyes on Wrench, wordlessly reminding him of her earlier threats. Wrench by now knew, or could at least guess that Odious was the one that had brought the Gold Ranger onto the ship. What she wanted him for was anyone's guess, but the fact that he knew, and that he hadn't told anyone about her secret lab now placed him very firmly in the crosshairs. If Odious was going down, there was no way she would keep quiet and drag Wrench down with her.

"Well, I think Madame Odious was suggesting that if Ripcon was the one who brought him on the ship, what better way to cover his tracks than to be the one to lead the search?"

"That...that is an interesting point." Cosmo stated. "Though I know I for one would like to see a little proof before I start throwing around accusations."

Galvinax didn't say anything, instead just leaving the room. Madame Odious wasn't far behind him. As he was about to leave, Cosmo hooked his shoulder with his cane.

"Wrench, you're doing well here, aren't you?" Cosmo stated. "I've treated you well, haven't I?"

"Well...yes Mr Royale!" Wrench stammered. Cosmo just smiled.

"Please, it's Cosmo; we're friends...aren't we?" He asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Um...yes, of course!" Wrench rushed out. Cosmo twirled his cane, tucking it under his arm.

"Good. I would hate to think anything different." Cosmo answered. "I like to know that my boys know which side their bread is buttered on."

With that, Cosmo's phone started ringing. He saw the number on it and answered the phone.

"I was waiting on your call...what do you mean what's the problem?" Cosmo asked as he left. "I asked for a Gold Ranger action figure! Not a BUTTERSCOTCH action figure! Your mock up of the Gold Ranger action figure doesn't even have any gold on it!"

With that, he left the room, leaving Wrench to ponder the conversation he had just had with Cosmo, and to worry about the position he had now found himself in.

The following morning, Al arrived at his office, early as usual. He always liked to get in to get some time to let his computer boot up and to get himself a mocha before his shift started.

He turned on his computer, taking a sip from his coffee as he took off his jacket, hanging it up. He was about to sit down, when he noticed something on his desk. It was a newspaper, but it wasn't a recent one. He didn't even need to read the date, he could remember it explicitly. It was burned into his mind forever. He picked it up, staring at the headline, feeling more than a little ill. He noticed that there was a post-it note attached to it. It simply said, 'My office, first thing'.

Al gripped the newspaper tightly as he went to the elevator, pressing for the top floor. When he got there, the security guards were already gesturing him over, one of them pulling out his metal detector wand.

"Mr Tien's expecting you." He said as he started to run the wand over Al.

"Yeah, I got his invitation." Al said somewhat gruffly as they opened the door following their search and let him in. Al made his way in, finding Mr Tien looking out of his window over the city. "You wanted to see me sir?"

"Mr Thompson, I was hoping you'd come to speak with me again." Mr Tien stated. "So, how is your day?"

"It was going a lot better until I saw this." Al stated, holding up the news paper. Mr Tien smiled as he turned around and greeted him.

"You know, I wondered why you didn't want to get back into investments. I can't believe it took me so long to figure it out." Mr Tien stated. "The pieces should have fit together, but they didn't. Panorama City, four years ago..."

"Almost five!" Mr Thompson corrected him. "I'd very much like to leave that behind me."

"I'll bet you would. Millions of dollars, multiple fraud convictions, many of your friends serving long prison sentences..."

"Not to mention the thousands of people whose life savings and pensions we lost. Or the kid that was shot when some of the people we screwed over went after my boss' kid to get to him!" Al interrupted him. "You can understand why I don't want to be involved with that life again."

He tossed the newspaper into the bin.

"I know you're not used to being told 'no' Mr Tien, but I'm afraid this is one time you're going to have to take that as your final answer." Al stated bluntly. "Please don't bring this up again."

With that, he stormed out of the office.

Over at the Mall, there was already a massive queue going all the way around the block for Levi's meet and greet. It was something he always liked doing for his fans before his gigs. He knew that as much as his fans loved him, there were always some that were going to miss out. The arena gigs could be very expensive and a lot of his fans couldn't afford to go to them. Others would miss out on tickets because they simply couldn't get them on time. A lot of his concerts sold out within minutes of going on sale, and even the large arenas had limits on the number of people they could accommodate. In an ideal world, Levi would be able to perform for all his fans, but he liked to do what he could to make sure that even the ones that couldn't go to the arena got a chance to see him.

Tom wasn't quite as keen on these events though. Levi's fans could get more than a little over-excited. Tom was straightening out his suit as he came to the area Levi was using to get ready. Levi saw his dishevelled appearance and chuckled.

"What happened to you?" He asked. "Did you wrestle a bear?"

"A cougar actually, she managed to get into the back and was looking for you. It took three security guards to drag her away. I swear Levi; your fans get crazier by the day." Tom told him. "This one claimed she was a High School Principal. Can you believe that?"

"It's all part of the package Tom." Levi said with a shrug.

"I guess the best way to calm things down is give the people what they want." Tom said with a smile. "Lead the way."

He was lead out of the building, into the street outside. They had set up a banner and a signing table for him, and security were keeping the fans in check. There were hundreds, possibly more, dressed up for the occasion. There were Stetsons, chaps and plaid shirts as far as the eye could see. The mere chance of getting a backstage pass had likely caused every shop in the area that sold clothing that could even remotely be thought of as "western" selling out in no time. Levi took a microphone as he got to the table, fans screaming at the thought of getting to see him up close.

"Hello Summer Cove!" He greeted them warmly. "Alright, I'm going to try to see as many of you as possible, so if y'all could just keep the line in order and be nice and orderly, I'll try to get through all of ya as quick as I can. As usual, my biggest fan will be granted a backstage pass!"

There was a huge eruption from the crowd as he said this.

"Alright, so, let's keep this all nice and we'll get right to it!" He announced, sitting down.

"If I could just take a moment to remind you all of a couple of rules folks, no photography, no personal messages, and no touching Mr Weston, he doesn't need to go getting sick before his concert!"

As Tom put the mic down, Levi just sighed and put his hand over the mic.

"Really Tom?" He asked.

"Hey, I'm just looking out for..."

"Well, you kind of make me sound like a dick when you do." Levi told him. "Alright, first up, what's your name there partner?"

"My name's Mike Barnes and this is my wife Emily and son Hector!" The first customer said as they got to him. "My wife here's a real-life cow-girl, grew up on a farm all her life!"

A few streets away from the signing, Ripcon and a contingent of Kudabots appeared. Ripcon drew his swords and adopted a guard, but as he looked around, he noticed something decidedly odd.

"What?" He asked. "Where is everyone?"

No matter which way he looked, the streets were deserted. There wasn't a soul in sight! He wasn't unaccustomed to seeing empty streets, but usually that was a few minutes after they arrived. However, the streets now were completely empty. It was like everyone had run away in advance of their arrival. He strode around, looking for any sign of anybody.

"Hello?" He called out, but he didn't get a reply. He looked to one of the Buzz-Cams.

"Wrench, what the hell is going on?" He screamed.

"The street's empty." Wrench told him.

"Well I can see that!" Ripcon screamed at him. "I mean why the hell did you send me to an empty street? How am I meant to track the Rangers if there are no people screaming for help?"

"I...didn't know the street would be empty." Wrench admitted. "I'll send the Buzz-Cams out on a wider search!"

"You do that!" Ripcon said as he sat on the hood of a car and waited for Wrench to tell him where everyone had gone. Why would the streets of the city be completely empty in the middle of the day?

Back at the signing, the Rangers were standing in the queue, getting closer and closer to the signing table. They were now only about a dozen or so places removed from the signing table, so close they could actually see Levi in the flesh. Hayley and Sarah were buzzing with excitement, bouncing with unrestrained energy as they clutched to each other.

"I can't believe I'm actually going to meet Levi Weston in person!" Hayley said as she clutched one of his posters in her hand like her life depended on it. Sarah was fanning herself with a very goofy smile on her face as she looked down the line at him, making sounds that Brody wasn't sure even Hayley with her new communication powers could identify as any kind of language.

"He is SOOOO cute!" Hayley exclaimed right to Calvin. The Yellow Ranger looked a little put out, and started pouting as he heard this. He could still remember Hayley's 'hall pass' remark from the previous day. It had been something they had both agreed to as a way to 'make things a little more interesting' in their relationship, but they had picked celebrities based on the fact that they were unlikely to ever even meet them! He had ended up choosing Emily Bett Rickards. Hayley saw the look on his face and found his apparent jealousy quite cute. "Don't worry, you're pretty cute too."

"Let's all try to act natural OK; I don't want to embarrass myself." Preston chipped in as he straightened out his Stetson. Brody just tapped him on the shoulder.

"Preston, if dressing like that doesn't embarrass you, then I don't think anything will." Brody commented.

"Hey, what's wrong with this?" He asked.

"Preston, you have a cactus on your ass." Brody pointed out. It was a soft toy that Preston had sewn there the night before. They all knew about the costume contest, and had all dressed up, with the exception of Brody who really didn't care at all and was only there to be with his friends.

"It's a gimmick, you know? Something to make me stand out!" Preston told him. "Virtually everyone here is dressed up in cowboy clothes; he'll have seen it thousands of times. I wanted something to make me stand out."

"Damn, why didn't I think of that?" Hayley cursed herself. "I mean, there's a horse over there and...that girl is LITERALLY dressed as a big fan! Oh man, I hope I didn't blow it!"

"The point is, that cactus is going to win me a backstage pass!" Preston said proudly, although he cast a glance back at the fan girl, wondering if perhaps she had thought of something he hadn't.

"It's not just about the costume!" Sarah said, finally being able to speak in something that resembled a human language. "Levi's going to be giving a backstage pass to his biggest fan!"

She pointed to herself to emphasise the point. Brody just snorted.

"I don't see what's so great about Levi Weston anyway." Brody replied dismissively. "He's just a guy like everyone else. You only like him because he sings. For all you know he could drown puppies in his spare time."

"I would give anything to get that backstage pass!" Hayley remarked, completely ignoring what Brody had said.

"Anything!" Sarah added, beginning to shift nervously, shuffling her feet and playing with her hair.

"Um...can we clarify what you mean by 'anything'?" Calvin asked.

Up at the signing table, Levi was smiling brightly. He had to admit it was always a boost to his ego every time someone told him that his music had changed their life, or that he had inspired them to do something like go back to school or to take up music. He'd even heard one or two people tell him very personal stories of how his music got them through dark times in their lives, some going so far as to say he had saved their lives. While he loved to hear it, he wasn't sure he could take credit for it, but he was always happy to know that he had affected people's lives.

"Thanks for coming out." Levi said as he handed a signed picture back to one of his fans. Tom put a hand on his shoulder.

"Do you want to take a break Mr Weston?" He asked him. "Is your pen hand getting too tired?"

"My hand's just fine Tom." Levi responded. "And why do you call me Mr Weston?"

"In public..."

"Tom, we're brothers. You've seen me bare-ass naked when we swam at the creek back home. I don't think you need to be callin' me Mr Weston." Levi reminded him. "And I'm fine, these nice people have been standin' out here for a couple a' hours now, least I can do is keep signin'."

Tom went to the front of the queue just as the girl in front of Sarah went to the signing table, meaning she was now next in line. He held up his hands.

"Remember the rules when you talk to Levi folks, no photos, no screaming, and no shakin' his hand or touchin' him. He don't need to be getting fan germs before his big concert."

"Fan germs." Brody laughed, hearing this. "Seriously."

"Well I see you didn't get dressed up." Tom said with a note of disgust in his tone. Brody realised he was looking right at him.

"Well I'm not really a fan." Brody replied. All of his friends turned and looked at him in disbelief. He turned around, and was suddenly aware of hundreds of people all staring right at him. It was like he had uttered some dreadful insult, said some disgusting thing that had turned him into public enemy number one.

"Its fine Tom, leave him be!" Levi said with a smile. He had heard what Brody had said, and there was something a little refreshing about it. He was used to being surrounded by people that always told him how wonderful he was. Everywhere he went people would always go out of their way to tell him he was the greatest thing that ever happened to them. It wasn't often someone would openly say in his presence they didn't like him.

"Whatever you say, Mr Weston." Tom answered, before approaching Brody. "Mind what you say to him or you and I are gonna have problems boy."

Brody just scoffed and shook his head as Tom left. He doubted that he would have much to worry about there. He didn't even want anything from Levi, much less to talk to him. He was only there for his friends.

Just then, there was an explosion and people started screaming. The Rangers turned as people started running for their lives.

"Aw man, couldn't these guys have waited like five more minutes?" Sarah muttered as the Rangers rushed into battle.


	4. A Surprise Job Offer

The battle was fierce, and the sheer number of people that had crowded into the street in front of the mall for the signing complicated matters. The Rangers were always keenly aware that they couldn't morph while there were still civilians in the area. Even in the confusion and the panic, there was always a chance that someone would catch enough of a good look at them as they morphed to be able to identify them later. It somewhat defeated the point being a ninja if people knew who you were, in fact as Troy had put it himself, if you were a famous ninja then you were really not doing it right.

"The street's blocked!" Calvin called out. "Everyone into the mall!"

"We...we can't get in!" Someone screamed out. "They've locked the doors!"

"Stand back!" They heard someone call. Sarah looked around in time to see Victor throwing off half of a horse costume. She presumed that Monty was inside the other half.

"Victor?" She called out. "What are you...?"

Before she could finish, Victor broke into a run and launched himself full-tilt straight at one of the store windows, going straight through it. She stood, unable to believe what she had just seen. Victor lay in a heap on the ground, unmoving. By regulation any window that was low enough for people to reach it had to be made of safety glass. Victor had to have hit it pretty hard to be able to break it. Monty rushed to the side of the window, waving wildly.

"Come on everyone, get in!" He screamed. "Someone help Victor; barricade the window when you're done!"

"Wow...talk about using your head." Calvin stated, rousing Sarah's attention. The Pink Ranger just nodded, unable to answer. She had seen Victor put himself on the line once before when he took on Spinferno, and now he had used himself as a battering ram to create an escape route for the citizens. As thoughtless and idiotic as Victor could be, even he had to know that running headlong into a store window would not end well for him.

"I...I can't believe he did that." She gasped as she saw people filing inside. Monty started waving them in.

"Come on guys, you can..."

"We'll hold these guys here!" Sarah called back. "The Rangers should be here any minute! Barricade the window!"

Monty looked reluctant to do this. She knew that to him, it had to seem like Sarah had told him to block them outside the store, effectively sealing them out in harm's way.

"Monty, just do it!" Sarah told him. He still didn't seem to be moving. However a moment later he seemed to fly into the store, before a whole display came crashing down, blocking the way in and more importantly, blocking the view from the inside. She looked over to where Preston was grappling with one of the Kudabots, his hand still glowing following his spell. He looked to her and nodded to confirm he had just taken the decision out of Monty's hands.

"Alright guys, now we can..."

"Uh, we've overlooked one thing!" Hayley interrupted Brody, pointing to the signing table. Levi and Tom were still there, having not seen the escape into the store. Brody just groaned.

"Alright, we need to get them out of here first!" Brody told them, putting his morpher away.

Up on the stage, Tom and Levi were fending off Kudabots when Ripcon arrived. Levi had seen these things before, but they had never gotten the drop on him before now. He was about to reach for his Power Star when he realised he had a problem. He didn't have it on him!

He looked to Tom, who was singing his briefcase around as a weapon. Before the signing, he had asked Tom to keep it safe for him. He hadn't foreseen actually needing his Power Star at a signing. He could see that more Kudabots and a particularly nasty looking alien were coming into the area. He was about to go and ask Tom for his Power Star back when the alien, who looked like a kind of striped, horned pig spoke.

"The Gold Ranger better appear or I'll destroy everyone!" He called out. Levi could see the kids fighting for all they were worth, no doubt trying to find a way out themselves now that the mall was barricaded shut. He looked once more to Tom, who was moving further away, no doubt trying to secure a route for Levi. Although Levi knew that changing form in front of witnesses was only likely to lead to trouble down the road, he figured that he could buy them off, probably bribe them with some backstage passes or an exclusive appearance or something. Tom...well...Tom he'd have to talk to, explain why he hadn't told him about any of the things that were happening to him that he still didn't fully understand. Unfortunately Tom was now well out of reach. He looked back as Ripcon fixed his gaze on him. "I'll start with this cowboy!"

Levi could only watch as he cast energy waves his way. Before they hit home though, something hit him fast and hard, taking him clean off his feet. He looked up from the ground, seeing a kid in a red jersey on top of him.

"Get up!" Brody told him, dragging Levi to his feet as he looked around. He saw an alleyway leading to some dumpsters. "This way!"

Levi didn't get much choice in the matter as Brody dragged him down the street, signalling to his friends that they could now safely morph. They quickly complied as he took Levi out of sight. Now they could bring their full power to bear, the tide started to turn. Calvin was in the middle of taking down some Kudabots when Ripcon grabbed him, threatening him with a sword.

"The Gold Ranger, where is he?" Ripcon demanded. Calvin didn't have much to be happy about in this situation, but Ripcon in his upfront way had inadvertently confirmed two facts that the Rangers had suspected. The first was that they were searching for the Gold Ranger, and that he was no friend to them, and he had also confirmed that they also had no idea who the Gold Ranger was! If they did, they wouldn't be attacking random civilians in the mall.

"Even if I knew I wouldn't tell you!" Calvin shot back as he broke free and shoved Ripcon away.

Ripcon felt himself bumping into someone as he stumbled. He looked back, seeing Tom falling to the ground. As he dropped his briefcase, it broke open, revealing a shining object that he recognised immediately.

"The Gold Power Star!" Ripcon called out, looking to the terrified manager. "You're the Gold Ranger!"

Tom was far too terrified to have any idea what Ripcon was talking about. He was about to try and run, only for his path to be blocked by a sword.

"You're not going anywhere!" He warned Tom. Before he could strike however, he was hit by four power blasts, taking him down. Tom looked around; unable to see Levi anywhere, and hoping that he had found somewhere safe to hide, took the opportunity to run for his life, taking the contents of his briefcase with him.

Ripcon watched Tom disappear down the street, and knew that he had missed his opportunity. Now that he knew what he looked like, he was sure he could track him down later. In the meantime, he got up, his frustrations boiling over as he confronted the Rangers.

"You cost me the Gold Ranger!" He screamed at them, drawing his second sword. "You'll pay for this!"

"Ha, send us a bill!" Calvin responded as the Rangers finished the last of the Kudabots, and rounded on Ripcon, rushing into battle.

A little way off, Brody finally got far enough down the alley, finding a spot behind some dumpsters for Levi to hide. He grabbed a couple and started to move them; creating cover for him should any of the fight spill into the alley. Levi felt badly that a stranger had saved him. He still didn't understand what the powers the star lent him were for, but he knew enough to know that they were intended for him to help others, not for others to end up having to help him. He looked to Brody as the Red Ranger finished.

"Thanks. I would have been road kill back there if it wasn't for you." Levi said gratefully. He could see that Brody was starting to look antsy, like he was just waiting for Levi to shut up and let him go, likely to go back and help his friends. He saw that Brody was in the red sweatshirt and jeans and a smile crossed his face as he recalled the incident in the line. He realised who Brody was. "Hey, I remember you; you're that kid from before, the one who isn't a fan."

Levi could see the blank expression on Brody's face. He doubted many people could get why this was unusual to him. Not people doing pretty much anything for him, he had seen fans get pretty crazy at times, even going so far as to risk their lives! He had once found a fan dangling from the balcony of his hotel room in Dallas, having climbed out the window of his own room to try and get to him...Levi's room was on the 27th floor! A fan had literally risked pretty much certain death in order to get close to him for what would likely only have been a few seconds before security dragged him away. Brody just furrowed his brows, almost like he looked offended.

"Listen, I didn't save you because you're Levi Weston, I don't give a shit who you are!" Brody told him. "You were someone that needed help and that's all that mattered. I'd have done the same thing if you were a street cleaner!"

"Whoa, don't...don't get what I'm saying wrong, I'm grateful. I just...you don't know...I'm sorry if..."

"Hey, whatever, apology accepted." Brody responded, looking to Levi judgementally. "I'll see you..."

"Hey, wait!" Levi called out, stopping Brody from leaving. The Red Ranger just looked annoyed, like he was losing patience with Levi. He didn't get why Brody would risk himself like he did, and he was even more impressed knowing that he was rushing back out into danger, probably to save more people. He wanted to know more people like Brody, more people who were genuinely good people, who he knew would do the right thing even when they didn't care what Levi could do for them in return. He had to think quickly. "Would you...like a job?"

He cringed almost as soon as he said it. He wanted to show Brody that he wanted him around even if Brody didn't actually want anything from him, and yet his first go-to thought was to offer him something to bribe him. Brody stared at him in confusion and anger.

"A job?" He asked. "You want to give me a job?"

"Well...after what just happened, it looks like it might be smart to hire a bodyguard." Levi said, internally screaming at himself for doubling down on this approach. "Just while I'm in town for the concert."

"Me? Work for YOU?" Brody asked, his impatience starting to build. Was this guy for real? His friends were fighting, trying to save others, and he was trying to bribe Brody into sticking with him? Levi nodded, which only seemed to irritate him more. All he wanted was to leave this guy behind now he was safe and go and help his friends. "Thanks but..."

Brody's words tailed off as a thought occurred to him. He still didn't understand the fascination with Levi Weston, so far all he saw was a privileged guy who was used to getting his own way by throwing money and favours at people. However, he couldn't help thinking about how excited all his friends had been to see him, even just for the brief time they'd have been at the signing tables, and the discussion about the backstage passes. He knew that strictly speaking he wasn't meant to be doing the Ranger thing for rewards, but...it wasn't like he used his POWERS to gain anything, and since strictly speaking it would be for his friends and not him, would it really be so bad if...?

"I'll do it on two conditions." Brody told him. "The first is you give backstage passes to me and all of my friends, the ones who were out there fighting to save your butt."

"Done." Levi said with a smile. As far as prices went, this was him getting off very lightly. A backstage pass, while having HUGE value to fans, who would give or pay virtually anything for them, really only meant a few minutes of his time before the concert. Before his concerts, there was a lot of hanging around anyway while equipment was set up and the venue was cleaned and made ready...it was pretty boring and was a lot of hanging around with not much to do. Having a little company would make that time a little less tedious for him anyway.

"Second, I'm not following all your silly little rules." Brody insisted. "I'm going to treat you exactly as I'd expect you to treat me, like an ordinary person."

Levi smiled hearing this. Treated like an ordinary person? That was something he wasn't sure he remembered, even without the effects of Madame Odious' mind-altering technology. People would fall all over themselves to fulfil any of his requests, even going to some insane lengths. One time he had asked for a bottle of water, and a guy had returned with literally every single brand available in the nearest store just because Levi hadn't specified which TYPE of water he wanted! To him it was all just water; he still used to drink water direct from the well on his family ranch.

"That sounds good to me." Levi told him. "What's your name kid?"

"Brody Romero." Brody told him.

"I'll leave a message with reception to expect you." Levi told him. "Come to the hotel when you're done."

"I'll be there." Brody assured him before running off. Levi tried to follow him, but by the time he got to the alley, Brody had disappeared, almost as though by magic. There was no sign of any of the others, and the only thing left was the wreckage of the Kudabots. Levi looked around for any sign of them as Tom returned.

"Levi, you're alright?" He called out as he appeared from hiding. Levi just nodded.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm fine Tom." Levi replied. "Where is everyone?"

"No idea, but they're not here and that's good enough for me!" Tom told him. "Now come on, we need to get you back to the hotel."

"But the fans..."

"Hey, I think the fans will understand." Tom told him, gesturing to the limo. Levi just sighed and tipped his hat.

"Whatever you say mom." He teased him. "I just hope you're not this short with my new bodyguard."

"New...new what?" Tom asked as he got in. "What's this about a new bodyguard?"

Levi just smirked as the Limo pulled off, taking him back to the hotel.

Meanwhile, Brody headed for the beach, having been told by Redbot that the others had taken the battle out there to get Ripcon away from the mall and all the potential victims there. When he arrived, he found the battle still raging.

Ripcon was determined to make sure that this venture into the city hadn't been a complete loss. Even if the Gold Ranger had been too much of a coward to face him, perhaps he could take out one or two of the others. Even four on one the Rangers were finding him a tough opponent.

"Alright Mick, time to try out that new move you set me up with." Brody commented, putting a new Power Star into his sword. "I hope this works. Ninja Star Morph! Final Attack!"

Sarah and Preston were battling with Ripcon, their blades locked with his as Hayley and Calvin regrouped. Sarah heard something odd a little way off.

"Preston, do you hear that?" She asked. "I think it sounds a little like a saw..."

"LOOK OUT!" Preston screamed as he turned in time to see a red, glowing star speeding towards them. Sarah and Preston threw themselves aside just as it slammed into Ripcon. He was thrown a significant distance away, and they could see one of his horns had broken off. The star stopped spinning, turning back into Brody.

"Whoa, Mick, that new Ninja Star Morph was EPIC!" Brody said as the others gathered around him.

"Yeah, it was." Sarah told him. "But um...maybe a little warning next time would be good?"

"Like...telling us you had access to a whole other Ranger team?" Brody teased her.

"Shutting up now." Sarah said, returning her focus to the task at hand. Ripcon was just getting to his feet, feeling the top of his head.

"MY HORN!" He screamed as he realised that it had broken off in the attack. "IMPOSSIBLE!"

"Not so tough now are you?" Brody teased him. Madame Odious appeared and picked up Ripcon's horn, approaching him.

"Poor little Ripcon, are they getting stronger or are you getting weaker?" She said in a dismissive tone.

"I'm just toying with them until..."

"ENOUGH!" Madame Odious said, putting her arm across his chest to stop him. "Galvinax says you must capture the Gold Ranger!"

"But..."

"He's obsessed with discovering the traitor!" Madame Odious interrupted him. "Your little grudge match with the Red Ranger can wait."

With that, they disappeared. The Rangers were grateful that he had been summoned back to the ship, but they also knew all that meant was he would have time to recover and come back.

"Ripcon's after the Gold Ranger." Brody stated.

"How do we warn him?" Sarah asked. "We don't even know who he is!"

"Well, the good news is that neither does Ripcon." Calvin told them, remembering what he had overheard Ripcon say earlier. "All we can hope is we get to him first."


	5. Levi's Bodyguard

On the Warrior Dome, Odious and Ripcon appeared in Cosmo's office, where Wrench, Galvinax and Cosmo were waiting for them. Cosmo was currently on the phone, while Galvinax appeared to be seething, his naginata gripped tightly in his hand. Wrench was there, holding his tablet, and looking more than a little hesitant to be so close to Galvinax in his current mood.

"Champ..."

Ripcon was interrupted as Cosmo held up a hand, before gesturing to the phone. He just sighed.

"But I'm not asking for much, just a few extra runs of those action figures." Cosmo stated, before he listened to the answer on the other end. "What do you mean they don't sell? Really? Your focus groups say that...well you know what you can tell your focus groups to do, I'm the one that sees the figures flying off my shelves!"

There was more chatter on the other end, while Cosmo mimed a mouth flapping with his hand, showing utter disdain for the man on the other end. He just rolled his eyes.

"Listen you jumped up little shit, I'm telling you, I'm the one that sells the stupid things and I'm telling you..." He didn't look happy as he seemed to be interrupted. "I can't keep the female action figures on the damn shelves! Really? Those are your sales reports? Well...how do you expect the girls to sell if we never have any?"

He growled in frustration, stroking his brow as he listened to the response.

"Well yes, if I sell 10,000 Pink Ranger figures and 20,000 Red Ranger figures, then of course I've sold twice as many..." Cosmo just got more and more irritated by the look of his expression. "Well if you only SEND me 10,000 Pink Ranger figures for every 50,000 Red Ranger figures but all 10,000 Pink Rangers sell out while only 20,000 Red Rangers sell, then the Pink Rangers have a one hundred percent selling rate while the Red Rangers have only a forty percent..."

He slapped his hand on his forehead and leant back into his chair.

"Girls don't buy action figures and boys don't buy 'dolls'? That is the stupidest bloody thing I've ever heard! I'VE WATCHED THEM SELL!" Cosmo yelled down the phone. "And will you quit with the over-saturation of the legacy line? I know nostalgia sells, but how many kids do you think know about competitors that left the show 20 years ago!"

He slammed down the phone and looked to the others and smiled.

"Sorry about that." Cosmo said, gesturing to Ripcon to continue. "You were telling us about your search for the Gold Ranger."

"Champ, why did you pull me out of that fight? I was about to..."

"Your vendetta is of no concern to me!" Galvinax interrupted Ripcon. "Go get slaughtered by the Rangers all you want on your own time for all I care! I told you I want you to bring me the Gold Ranger!"

"I was working on it!" Ripcon yelled at him.

"Really? Because it looked like all you were doing was getting a close trim." Odious teased him, inspecting his severed horn. Cosmo clicked his fingers and gestured to her to give it to him. He smiled.

"Hmm...the Red Ranger disfigured Ripcon. It looks like he took round two of your little feud." Cosmo said, looking to Galvinax. "Remind me to get some promotional shots of Ripcon with his horn..."

Galvinax slammed a fist down on Cosmo's table, shattering a snowglobe he had there. He just sighed.

"That WAS an antique." Cosmo told him. Galvinax just growled, at which Cosmo decided to back off. He could get his promo shots for the Ripcon/Red Ranger feud later.

"I don't care if the Rangers turn your mother into the world's largest portion of barbecue ribs and make you watch as they eat her! Get down to Earth and search for the Gold Ranger! Until he's found and the traitor that brought him here is revealed, that is your ONLY concern!" Galvinax said menacingly as he approached Ripcon.

"But Champ..."

"That is your ONLY concern!" Galvinax reiterated. "I expect progress..."

"I know who the Gold Ranger is!" Ripcon interrupted him, remembering seeing the Gold Power Star falling out of Tom's briefcase. While he was quite dismissive of humans as a species, he wasn't ignorant enough to believe they all looked the same. He had gotten a good look at Tom, he would recognise him anywhere. His ridiculous dress sense would make him all too easy to find. Not many people in California walked around in business suits and cowboy hats! "I saw him! I saw his face! I can find him!"

"Then what are you still doing here?" Galvinax growled, at which Ripcon turned, gesturing to Wrench to follow him.

"Come with me rust-bucket!" He snapped. As they left, Odious stroked her chin.

"Odd, isn't it?" She asked. "He saw the Gold Ranger, and yet he broke off his pursuit of him to fight the Rangers."

Cosmo straightened up in his chair as Galvinax turned towards his manager.

"He also failed to mention he had seen him. That's an important detail, the kind of thing I'd have thought he'd mention right away." Odious continued with her 'random' thought. In her mind though, she was sowing the seeds of a narrative, one she was planning to sell Galvinax and Cosmo. She didn't need anyone linking her to the Gold Ranger, and the easiest way to move the suspicion from herself was to find a scapegoat. Or, in this case...scapepig! "Why, if I didn't know any better, it would almost seem like he didn't want to find the Gold Ranger."

"Keep an eye on him." Galvinax told them both. "If he gives you any reason to suspect he's the traitor, I'll destroy him myself!"

With that, Galvinax left the room. Odious left shortly afterwards, while Cosmo just dialled the phone and sighed, shaking his head at the damaged snowglobe.

"Mikey my man, tell me, where are we on the Gold Ranger figures?" Cosmo asked. "I have a feeling he'll be around for a while yet, and I want the merchandise ready while he's hot, hot, hot!"

At the Ranger Base, the team had assembled to discuss their next move. The attack at the signing wasn't exactly terribly surprising, Galvinax's monsters had a habit of attacking any event or area that was densely populated, but that didn't mean it wasn't worrying. Preston was checking a report.

"The news is reporting very few casualties." Preston told them. "It looks like most people got away alright; those that were hurt have already been taken to the hospital."

"That's one thing at least." Calvin commented. "Victor's going to have one hell of a headache that's for sure."

"Did the news say anything about Levi?" Sarah asked. Brody just rolled his eyes.

"Levi's fine, he didn't have a scratch on him." Brody told her. "I got him out of there." Sarah just huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I was just asking." She grumbled.

"There was no sign of the Gold Ranger." Hayley reminded them. "The last couple of weeks he's been at every attack before us..."

"Hell, he's LEFT every attack before we got there!" Calvin added. "That's the first fight I've been in since he turned up! Normally all we find are spare parts!"

"Still, that is curious." Mick commented, scratching his head as he inspected a throwing star he had just finished polishing. "Why would he miss this fight?"

"Maybe he just...didn't get there in time." Preston suggested with a shrug. "You know sometimes it takes us longer to get to a battle than we'd like, maybe he just wasn't anywhere nearby."

"Given how enthusiastic he's been about taking out monsters that seems most likely." Redbot chipped in. "He's almost taken out as many monsters as all of you have, and he's only been a Ranger a couple of weeks!"

"HEY!" The Rangers protested.

"He's just...had more opportunities than we have." Hayley answered. "It's not like we can help it if Cosmo only attacks us once a week."

"It is convenient though." Calvin chipped in. The others glared at him. "What? It is! We know he attacks every Friday! It means we aren't surprised!"

"He has a point." Mick conceded.

"Whatever." Brody said, looking to the footage. "The point is we're still no closer to finding him."

"So what do we do?" Preston asked.

"I guess...just keep looking for power signatures." Brody told them. "Anyway, I have to go, or I'll be late for work."

"WORK?" The Rangers chorused, looking surprised.

"You have a job?" Mick asked. "When did this happen?"

"I got it today." Brody answered.

"How?" Preston asked him. "You were with us all morning!"

"Let's just say I got an opportunity I didn't foresee." Brody said with a smirk. He was tempted to tell the others about his job, but since the concert wasn't for another week, and he wanted to see their faces when he provided them all with the backstage passes Levi had promised him, he figured it was best not to tell them he was going to work as Levi's bodyguard. Besides, given how much Hayley and especially Sarah were flailing over him earlier, he had a feeling he might just have to protect Levi from THEM if he brought his friends along. "I'm on the Ninja-Comm if you need me."

With that, he left the base, leaving the team to return to their work. Mick just shrugged and turned to face the Nexus Prism.

"Come on Nexus Prism." He said, winding up his throw. "Daddy's looking for a new Power Star!"

Up on the Warrior Dome, Wrench was going over the footage of the battle with Ripcon, trying to find a good shot of Tom. Ripcon was pacing as Wrench looked for the ideal shot.

"I've already told you which one it is, the dark-skinned one with the silly suit and hat!" Ripcon stated.

"Silly suit and...Ripcon, you just described most of the people that were there!" Wrench yelled at him.

"Well, he was male...and dark skinned!" Ripcon reiterated.

"That really doesn't narrow it down..."

"THERE! That's him!" Ripcon called out, pointing to the screen. Wrench paused the footage. "Wind it back...stop right there...yes, THAT one!"

"Him?" Wrench, asked as he saw Ripcon pointing to Tom. "Are you sure?"

"I'm telling you I saw him! He had the Gold Power Star in that case he was carrying!" Ripcon assured him. "Well, FIND HIM!"

"Alright." Wrench sighed. "One facial recognition search coming up!"

Meanwhile, in his hotel room, Levi was sitting in a chair, getting a little agitated as people fussed over him. Completely at Tom's insistence, he had agreed to have a check-up to make sure that he hadn't been shaken up too much, but Tom was so anal that his idea of a 'little check-up' appeared to be setting up a hospital ward in his suite! He just sighed as a doctor took his blood pressure.

"Your blood pressure is a little higher than I'd like to see." He commented.

"I can't IMAGINE why." Levi mumbled sarcastically, keeping the thermometer in his mouth. Another doctor took it out, looking at it.

"His temperature's a little high..."

"It might have something to do with all the people in the room!" Levi commented as the team of doctors checked over all their tests. "Tom, is all of this completely necessary? I don't have so much as a hangnail!"

"We just want to be sure of that." Tom told him. "That fight was pretty wild, we don't know..."

"Tom, you're talking to a guy that grew up riding bulls for fun." Levi chuckled as he patted him on the shoulder. "If Zeus couldn't shake me up when he was in a mood, I don't think..."

"Levi, you have a concert soon! If it was up to me, you wouldn't be within a hundred miles of Monster Central." Tom stated.

"It's just as well it's not up to you then isn't it?" Levi said with a smirk. "You work for me remember?"

"Did...did you seriously just threaten to fire your own brother?" Tom asked, looking a little put out. Levi just laughed.

"Funny how you remember that when it suits you." Levi told him, looking to the doctors. "Would y'all mind clearing up the ER? I kind of want my suite back to relax."

The doctors started to pack up and leave as Tom walked up to him.

"Levi, there's no shame in cancelling." Tom pressed on. "We can...honour these tickets in Reefside, or Silver Hills or Corinth or...anywhere with a few miles between there and here."

"But then my fans here would have to travel. That means taking time off from work, paying for plane or bus tickets, hotel rooms, that's quite a lot of money for some folks." Levi told him. He did genuinely hold a lot of concern for his fans. While he knew that some members of his management team always preferred to concentrate on their 'gold ticket' market, people that could afford pretty much everything and anything they were willing to sell, and who would pay for the privilege of getting within a hundred feet of him, he knew that a lot of his fans were not made of money.

For a lot of people they had saved for a long time to afford tickets in the nosebleeds. When he was first starting out, he would regularly do gigs in venues that barely held more than double-figures and sell tickets for more than ten dollars apiece. It was those fans that gave him his start, and he felt a certain loyalty to them. Of course, there was another reason he wanted to hang around Summer Cove. He seemed to feel more familiarity around here than he did anywhere else he had been recently, and it seemed to be helping him make sense of his memories. He didn't want to leave prematurely if he didn't need to.

"That's admirable, but we're talking about your life!" Tom told him.

"That would be why I hired a bodyguard!" Levi said as he smiled. Tom just stared at him.

"You...you hired a bodyguard?" He asked him. "Well, I'll overlook the fact you didn't run that past your manager and say that's the first smart decision I've heard you make today."

Just then, there was a knock at the door, before one of the security men opened the door, letting Brody in. Levi just smiled.

"Speak of the devil and he appears!" Levi said, offering his hand for a handshake. "Brody my man!"

Brody reluctantly took his hand and shook it. He looked to Tom, who was just staring with his mouth open. He couldn't tell if Tom remembered him from the signing and wasn't happy to see him, or if he just didn't know why Brody was there. Tom flicked a thumb in his direction.

"THIS is your bodyguard?" He asked.

"Yeah." Brody answered. "What of it?"

"Well, for one thing, you're a kid!" Tom stated.

"He's only a few years younger than me." Levi commented. "How old are you Brody?"

"Eighteen." Brody told him. "Well...seventeen and a bit, I'll be eighteen in..."

"I'm 22." Levi said, putting his hands on his hips, almost as though to taunt Tom. He just shook his head and got his phone out.

"Levi, I do not understand what goes through your head sometimes." Tom told him. "You want this kid around, that's fine, but you want a bodyguard, I'm going to hire someone that knows what the hell they're doing."

"Hey, what's that meant to mean?" Brody asked him.

"Oh, I don't know a couple of dozen tough guys?" Tom suggested. "Ones that actually need to shave?"

"This is my disguise." Brody replied as Tom dialled. He headed for the door.

"Do what you want Levi, I'm going to hire you some real bodyguards." Tom said as he left the room. "Hello, directory services? Can you get me the number for Cerberus Private Security?"

"He doesn't like me much does he?" Brody asked, flicking a thumb in the direction of the door. Levi just laughed and nodded.

"He doesn't like anyone much when he first meets them." Levi assured him. He was glad to see Brody had taken him up on his offer. He was getting sick of the fuss everyone was making around him. He knew that their concern was only for his welfare, but he was never a 'stay in' kind of guy. He was more likely to be out fishing or shooting back home than watching TV or playing videogames. "Anyway, I'm hungry, you hungry?"

"I could eat." Brody said with a shrug.

"Great, cause I remember this restaurant from the last tour I had in this town, and the hot dogs were amazing." Levi said as he started to head for the door. "I never got to try their burgers though, I guess..."

"Wait...you're going out?" Brody asked.

"Well...yeah." Levi stated. "Why?"

"I thought you were going to stay here." Brody answered. Levi just sighed and put his hands on his hips, shaking his head. He had hoped Brody would be different, he had hoped he had insisted that he would treat him like an ordinary person. Insisting Levi stayed in his room to make his job as a bodyguard easier didn't sound much like that.

"What would the fun in that be?" Levi asked. "I like to get out and about, really see a place."

"I really don't think you're meant to..."

"Listen Brody, you can stay here if you want, but I want to see this town." Levi told him. "I'm going out, and unless I'm very much mistaken a bodyguard is meant to stick with me so if you do, that makes you kind of a sucky bodyguard."

"Fine!" Brody responded, conceding defeat. He pointed to Levi though. "But if you really want burgers, there's a van not too far from here that does the best burger in town, the Double Danger Chilli Burger."

"Double Danger Chilli Burger?" Levi repeated, smiling broadly as he followed Brody out the door. "I like the sound of that!"


	6. Iron Pyrite

On the Warrior Dome, Ripcon was pacing impatiently as Wrench worked. He was desperate to find the Gold Ranger, to bring him and drag him before Galvinax and force him to divulge everything he knew. That he got onto the Warrior Dome meant that someone on the ship had Ripcon already had his suspicions who.

It would have taken someone with a high level of clearance to be able to sneak someone on board without alerting every security detail on the ship. That very much limited things to the senior staff. That his escape also revealed an area of the ship that no one even knew existed limited the list of suspects even further.

Ripcon knew that Odious would likely be weaving her tales, trying to stir up trouble, but the fact was to keep an entire room of the ship secret for so long would require a lot of knowledge of the ship, and also a deep cunning. He was sure Wrench wasn't involved, even if he hadn't only been on the senior staff a short time, and so was unlikely to be able to build such a room without anyone knowing, Wrench was a coward, a weakling. He would always hide behind Cosmo, who so far seemed to like him and be grooming him for something. He would never risk crossing someone with the power of Galvanax or Ripcon. That would mean that realistically the only ones smart enough, devious enough to have done it were Cosmo or Odious...and right now his money was on Odious.

While Cosmo played his games, and was loyal only to his viewing figures and his bank balance, meaning that the introduction of a new mystery Ranger would benefit him directly, Odious was always up to something. She was always appearing and disappearing without a trace, and she was always twisting people's words and casting doubt on others, him in particular. He was sure she was up to something, but she was always irritatingly a step ahead of him. There was nothing that tied her to the hidden lab or to the Gold Ranger, she had been careful to leave no evidence of her presence, so the only evidence would be a confession from the Gold Ranger himself.

He was cautious in his optimism, but he could almost see the scene now as he had the Gold Ranger on his knees before him, and forced him to point to Odious and announce that she had brought him on the ship. Even better, perhaps it was her intent to make him her next big-money ticket. He had taken down enough monsters to cause a stir among the casual audience. He almost dared to dream, perhaps her intent was to have him assassinate Glavanax and take his place as Champion! Galvanax was powerful, but like all warriors the day would come when his time would end, and Odious had to already be looking for his replacement. He wondered if perhaps Galvanax would allow him to perform the execution himself. Then there was the small matter that Galvanax would be on the lookout for a new manager!

"What is taking so long?" Ripcon screamed as he grabbed Wrench.

"Hey, the surveillance network in Summer Cove isn't exactly as extensive as the Warrior Dome! The humans don't cover every square inch of the city you know!" Wrench muttered. "Not to mention you and your clodhopping monsters keep wrecking everything. Almost 70 percent of the city's cameras are off-line right now!"

"You said you could find him!" Ripcon hissed as he gripped the handle of his katana. "If you're saying you're not useful to me..."

"Wait...I've got something!" Wrench said as one of his computers stared beeping. He pulled up an image, showing Tom walking through the lobby of the hotel, talking on the phone as he headed out into the street. Ripcon smiled as he saw his prey heading out into the city alone.

"Have you finished work on those new Kudabots yet?" He asked.

"BASHERBOTS!" Wrench corrected him. "I'm testing them in a couple of days..."

"Then I'll have to make do with what I've got." Ripcon answered. "I've got a Ranger to catch!"

Over at the Ranger Base, Sarah, Hayley, Preston and Calvin were passing the time while they waited on the scanners bringing up any signs of trouble in the city. There had already been one attack, and they were sure that they hadn't heard the last of Ripcon for the day. There were plenty of monsters on the Warrior Dome that could be sent to cause some disruption or a little damage; they sincerely doubted Ripcon would bother himself unless there was a bigger prize to be had.

"Man, I hate this soooo much!" Sarah complained. "Stupid Ripcon, he owes me a Levi Weston autograph."

"Hey, I think you're doing pretty good on the celebrity status." Preston chuckled. "You have a champion pro wrestler, two legendary palaeontologists and the Prince of Zandar on your cell phone."

"I still don't have Levi Weston though." She muttered, flopping forward onto her hands. "Come on Ripcon, can you at least send something for us to punch? I owe someone a lot of punching for spoiling my..."

"Uh...Sarah, it looks like you might get your wish." Mick stated as an alarm sounded. "I've got some power signatures in a street near the hotel..."

"I'll take it!" Sarah replied, grabbing her Power Star and heading for the exit.

In the city, a few streets from the hotel, Tom was still on the phone, trying to negotiate a deal with a security firm. He normally was happy enough with their own security, but having been in the city only just short of a full day; Levi had already been attacked once. His security guys were more than enough to handle the run-of-the-mill crazies that would try and get close to Levi, but for a threat like this, he wanted someone used to such things.

He had heard of a firm in Harwood, Cerberus Private Securities. They had a reputation as one of the best security firms in the country, if not the world, regularly hiring people with training from Interpol, the CIA and Special Forces units from around the world. Among their alumni, more than two dozen had ended up going into the Secret Service after their time in the firm, and several even protected the President. However, the main thing that piqued his interest was the fact that they had operated in Harwood during the Warstar invasion. That, as far as he was concerned, meant they had just the kind of experience he wanted watching his brother's back, no matter what they cost.

"Yeah, my brother hired a bodyguard, but I want more! I want the full package Mr Goodall!" Tom said as he made his way through the streets, looking for the nearest bottle shop to get himself some bourbon for the night. "I want an army of guys, I want an armour plated limo, I want outriders, tanks, helicopters...hell, I want F15's flying overhead if you offer it! I don't care what it costs!"

He listened to the other end of the call.

"Listen, I don't think you realise who you're talkin' to partner, I am speaking for Levi Weston!" He protested. "Wait...hello? Hello? He hung up on me! Damned nerve!"

He bumped into someone, not paying attention to where he was going. He was about to apologise when he saw that it was Ripcon standing in front of him.

"Hello friend, remember me?" He greeted Tom as Kudabots started to flood into the street.

"What do you want with me?" Tom rushed out in a panic. He was about to try and run when he was grabbed on all sides. Ripcon wasn't taking any chances.

"I have you now Gold Ranger." Ripcon told him.

"Gold Ranger!" Tom squeaked out in terror, his eyes wide as he heard this. "But I'm not the..."

He didn't get to finish as he was gagged, and a bag pulled over his head.

"Don't try to lie to me." Ripcon told him. "You and I are going to have a little chat! I want to know what you do before I take you to Galvanax!"

With that, they started to drag him away. Sarah and the others arrived just as they were starting to leave.

"HEY!" Sarah called out. "I owe you...!"

"Send me a bill!" Ripon snorted. "I've got more important things to do. You deal with them!"

"Hey, that was my line!" Calvin complained as a legion of kudabots appeared between the Rangers and Ripcon. The evil alien took just enough kudabots with him to carry his unwilling guest and walked away, leaving the others to keep the Rangers busy.

In another part of town, Brody and Levi were standing by a burger van. Levi had always loved eating at places like this. He hated franchise restaurants; one of the things he loved most about travelling with his career was getting to see the local culture and cuisine. He wasn't even overly bothered about high-class restaurants. He found that even when they began as local, family run places dealing in local recipes, once they got past a certain level of business they needed to broaden their appeal and they tended to lose a lot of the individuality that separated them from restaurants in other cities. Some of his favourite meals were served in motorway diners, dive bars and little vans like this.

They were outside the local botanical gardens, a peaceful place that he liked the look of, and he made a mental note to come back to if he had time after his concert.

He could smell the food from the truck, and it smelled amazing. A combination of fried meats, vegetables, and spices that smelled like they were strong enough to strip paint wafted over to him. He could feel something familiar about it. Perhaps he had been here before, there were parts of the city that made him feel like this, he just wished he could remember why. Some of the places he had been he could attach real memories to. He could remember people he met there, he could remember restaurants he had been to, in this case, it was more of a vague familiarity. It was like the smell of a baby blanket, or a memory someone might describe of seeing their parents from their crib as a baby. It existed more as a feeling than a memory, and it wasn't possible to know if it was even real.

"Keep the change." Brody told the guy in the van. He came over, handing a bag to Levi.

"Double Danger Chilli Burger." Levi said, looking to the bag. "Beef, cheese and chilli, three things that any Texan loves."

He opened the bag and recoiled a little as the smell hit him.

"Whooee! That is some strong chilli!" Levi commented.

"Think it's a little..."

"No way, it smells great!" Levi told him. "I love food so hot you can feel it all the way down if you get my drift!"

"It used to be my brother Aiden's favourite too." Brody chuckled at the recollection. "He loved spicy food. One time, he ate beans and just kept adding chilli powder saying it wasn't hot enough. By the time he was done, we were down half a tub of chilli powder."

"I'll bet that wasn't fun." Levi said, wincing a little at the thought.

"Let's just say that if it hurt on the way in, it was nothing compared to how much it hurt on the way out!" Brody laughed. Levi just smiled. "I really miss him."

"You and your brother were close, weren't you?" Levi asked him. Brody just nodded.

"We lost mom when we were little. My dad moved us out here after she died. In a lot of ways I don't think he really got over it." Brody said, his thoughts drifting back to his childhood. "All we really had was each other."

As they walked, Brody looked to Levi, who just seemed to be listening to his story, not saying anything. He was used to conversations generally being two way, but Levi wasn't saying much in return. He guessed he generally didn't have to say much to people. Most people had read enough in his biography and his magazine interviews to know most of his stories anyway.

"Is this really what a bodyguard's meant to do?" Brody asked him. Levi just shrugged in response.

"I don't rightly know. I've never been one." Levi answered truthfully. He noticed a car a little way off that was parked up on the side of the road. The hood was up, and a woman was staring in at the engine. "Hey, it looks like they could use a hand."

"I really don't think..."

"Hey, I don't know about you, but when I see someone I can help, I like to pitch in. It's the way I was raised." Levi told him. "Helping is never the wrong thing to do."

Brody was a little surprised to hear him say that. He had dealt with a lot of celebrities in his time on the Warrior Dome. Most of the fighters were well known across huge areas of the universe. They would swagger around the ship, constantly being told how brilliant and amazing they were. They cared little for the people around them, often delighting in their privilege as doors would open and queues would part to let them through. He certainly had never heard of any of them using their influence to help anyone but themselves. He had to quicken his pace to catch up to Levi who was already making his way over.

"The car won't start. What am I meant to do?" The woman said into her cell phone, clearly talking to her breakdown service. There was a kid in the passenger seat who looked like he was thoroughly miserable.

"Mom, I'm hungry!" He moaned. Levi just put his burger through the window, offering it to the kid.

"Here, you look like you need it more than I do." He stated as he approached the woman. "Car trouble?"

"It just won't start; I don't know what's wrong with it." She said as she turned around, but as she laid eyes on Levi, a look of recognition crossed her face. Brody was almost sure that she forgot completely about the car, where she was going, or anything else in that moment. "Wait...are you that singer? Levi Weston?"

Brody was internally groaning, having heard this reaction so many times before. This was normally the point at which the monsters he knew would expect fawning and adulation just for giving someone the time of day.

"No ma'am, that ain't me. I get that all the time." Levi said in response, somewhat surprising Brody. "It must be my smile I think. Mind if I take a look?"

The woman just nodded and stepped aside, letting Levi take a look at the engine. Brody was sure she was staring at Levi, and he wasn't sure Levi's lie worked. She seemed to be trying to decide if this really was the guy whose poster had been plastered on virtually every wall and billboard in the city for days now.

"I don't know too much about these modern cars, but I used to tinker with the tractor back on dad's farm all the time." Levi told her as he looked around. A lot of the parts were different, there were more modern components and suchlike in this car, but the basics of the internal combustion engine were pretty much common across the board. "Hopefully I should have you both on the road again in just a little bit!"

Meanwhile, in a warehouse deep within the city, Tom was sitting, blindfolded and shackled to a chair as Ripcon set up a perimeter around so that he'd know if anyone was coming. Even though he had been ordered to bring the Gold Ranger directly to Galvanax when he found him, he still wanted to take some time to hear what he had to say.

He knew it would likely take a little time to break the Gold Ranger's spirit. He had proven to be a tough warrior up until now, having defeated a number of warriors sent to Earth to search for him. Ripcon didn't expect him to just give up any information easily. So far all he knew was that the Gold Ranger had been on the ship. He still hadn't figured out why, or how he got there.

"Where are we?" Tom asked. "What are you going to do to me?"

"Where are we? Just somewhere I found to make sure we won't be interrupted while we have a little chat." Ripcon told him as he whipped Tom's blindfold off. "As for what I'm going to do to you, that depends largely on how forthcoming you are with answers to my questions!"

Ripcon came around in front of Tom and stood before him.

"Open up his briefcase!" Ripcon snapped at one of the kudabots. It broke the lock on the case, opening it up. Inside was a lot of Tom's paperwork, and also the Gold Power Star.

"There it is! The Gold Power Star!" Ripcon began as he took it out, inspecting it. Tom had no idea why he wanted it; Levi had given it to him earlier in the day to look after. Levi had a habit of picking up souvenirs from his tours. Nothing huge, usually it was cheap, tacky touristy stuff. Nick nacks and worthless junk mainly. He didn't know why Ripcon wanted this, but if he wanted it, he was more than happy to gift-wrap it with a bow and send him on his way! Ripcon though didn't seem to be happy with just this souvenir. "It's time we had a little chat Gold Ranger."

"Gold...Gold Ranger?" Tom stammered. Ripcon held up the Power Star.

"Don't even try to lie to me! You have this; I know you're the Gold Ranger!" Ripcon continued. "Odious is the one that let you on the ship, isn't she?"

"Ship? Odious? What...what are you talking about?" Tom stammered in a panic. Ripcon just shook his head and gestured to the kudabots, who tore off his jacket and his shirt.

"You can't lie to me Gold Ranger! I know it's you because you have this!" Ripcon said, holding up the Power Star again.

Tom could see the Power Star glowing, something he hadn't seen it do before. He doubted the creature would be interested in a novelty item, and he was going to a lot of trouble over Tom...was it possible? Tom didn't want to believe it, but he remembered that Levi did make a lot of fuss over the star. He liked his nick nacks, but Levi had made him swear to keep it safe, almost like his life depended on it. Levi had been off the grid for so long, was it possible this was what he was doing all this time?

He watched as Ripcon went to a table and pulled back a sheet, showing a bunch of evil looking tools, shiny blades of all different sizes and shapes. They looked like some twisted surgeon's tools. Ripcon put down the Power Star and picked up one of the blades and started to approach him.

"I was hoping you were going to make this easy on yourself, but it looks like you want to do things the hard way." Ripcon said menacingly. "Anything you want to tell me?"

Tom looked to the Power Star, and thought of Levi and took a few deep, rapid breaths, before looking to Ripcon defiantly.

"Do your worst!" Tom said bravely.


	7. Gold Cavalry

At the Ranger Base, Sarah, Calvin, Hayley and Preston rushed in after the battle with the Kudabots. Sarah threw her Stetson onto the floor in frustration as she arrived.

"They have the Gold Ranger!" She rushed out as Mick was about to talk. He just held up a hand like he was a student in one of his own classes, waiting to ask a question. "We...we got caught up with the kudabots, and by the time we were done with them, they were gone!"

"We had a look around, but we couldn't find anything." Calvin said as Mick started to say something. "We searched three blocks square; there was no sign of them."

"I tried asking some of the local birds, but most of them were scared off as soon as the battle started." Hayley complained as Mick was about to interject. He folded his arms and looked at her as he took a seat, waiting for her to finish. "I'd suggest taking Kody out there, but since we don't know who the Gold Ranger is and we don't have anything of his to get a scent from, there's nothing to go on."

"Three blocks, I can't believe we searched for three blocks and we couldn't find a single trace of them anywhere." Preston sighed. "Do you have any ideas Mick?"

The alien just pointed to himself.

"You want a suggestion?" He asked. "Well, just off the top of my head, I would say you should check out the warehouse on Emery Street."

"Emery Street?" Sarah asked. "Why there?"

"Because I picked up a lot of Kudabot activity there." Mick told them. "Oh, and also there's been no energy readings from a teleporter, and since Ripcon and his goons really don't like shuttle craft that would suggest that they never took the Gold Ranger off the planet. I'd say the odds are he's there."

The Rangers all just stared at him.

"I just thought you might like to know." Mick finished.

"Mick, why didn't you tell us?" Sarah rushed out.

"Well, I did try but you were all so busy talking I thought I should wait until I could get a word in edgeways." Mick concluded. "Oh, I took the liberty of pulling up a schematic of the area around the warehouse including energy signatures from kudabots, indicating guard patrols."

"Yeah, that's...um...great work Mick." Calvin said with a cough. "Alright, um...any ideas?"

"There's quite a lot of kudabots, not to mention Ripcon's likely still in there." Preston reminded them.

"Hey guys, Brody's been training us in all this ninja stuff for a couple of months now right?" Sarah asked, her gaze finding their training uniforms. "What do you say we start acting like it?"

"I like the way you think." Preston stated as he pulled off his shirt, heading for the training uniforms. "I've been itching for a chance to try this stuff out in the field."

Meanwhile, over at the Botanical Gardens, Brody was standing, watching as Levi checked over the engine of the stranded motorist. He had known celebrities a long time, that was to say, he had known the fighters of the Warrior Dome for a long time, and he saw what generally came with celebrity status.

Most of the warriors on the Warrior Dome were used to privilege that came with their fame. They would be rushed through queues, they would be directed to VIP sections, they would be handed things that most of the inhabitants of the Warrior Dome, even those that weren't slaves, could only dream of owning like they were worthless trinkets. Whenever one of them didn't get their way, there would be hell to pay. Families would be thrown out of their homes, paying customers removed from restaurants and people who were just standing in hallways minding their own business would be literally trampled over if they got in the way.

He had never seen one of them actually go out of their way to help anyone before. He was still a little surprised that Levi would even bother taking a few steps out of his journey to ask what the problem was, never mind try and help a total stranger.

Levi smiled as he saw something and began tinkering with the engine. "I see the problem, right here; it's just a loose distributer lead."

Levi reached in, taking the lead and tightening it into place as much as he could with his hand, before wiping it off on his shirt, leaving large, dirty marks on it. He looked to the woman and smiled.

"Crank 'er up." He told her. The woman turned the key, at which the engine burst into life.

"Thank you!" She said gratefully.

"It's just a patch job, it'll get you where you need to go, but I'd recommend a professional look at it for a more thorough job pretty soon." Levi told her. "If it's done right, this car's got years left in her."

"Thank you; I don't know what to say!" She rushed out.

"Thank you is more than enough!" Levi assured her. She gestured to her kid, who was already making short work of Levi's burger.

"Please, at least let me buy you another burger..."

"That won't be necessary ma'am." Levi assured her, holding up a hand. "Just promise me that if you see someone that needs a hand, you'll pay it forward."

"I will." She answered. As she got in and drove away, Levi turned to see Brody, who looked more than a little surprised by the whole incident.

"That was a pretty nice thing you did there." Brody said.

"You sound a little surprised by that." Levi replied with a smirk. "You know, maybe you shouldn't go around judging a book by its cover."

"Yeah...I think I kind of owe you an apology." Brody said a little awkwardly. "I've...known some celebrities in the past and...they weren't very nice."

"Well that's the thing Brody, I ain't just a celebrity." Levi told him. "You want to know what the difference is between a celebrity and everyone else?"

Brody shrugged and shook his head.

"More people recognise a celebrity. It doesn't mean they know them." Levi told him. "I was raised right, I was a nice guy before all of this and I like to think I still am."

"I'm sorry Levi, I guess I was a too quick to judge you." Brody said. "I thought you were just some self-obsessed celebrity. But you're a normal dude. In fact, you're pretty cool too."

"Thanks, that's good to hear." Levi answered as he looked to Brody. "I can't stand it when people treat me like I'm something special. But I could tell you were different."

"You could?" Brody asked. "Why?"

"Because I had to win you over." Levi chuckled. "Usually people are clamouring all over themselves for my approval, most of them before they know anything about me other than my name and what I do for a living. It's like sometimes they think my opinion is worth more than anyone else's which is ridiculous. I sometimes say and do smart stuff, but I also say and do some pretty dumb shit sometimes. Honestly, it was refreshing when I talked to someone who thought I was an asshole and I had to prove them wrong."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Brody stated.

"Hey, don't be. I guess I haven't been entirely honest either." Levi told him. "I didn't hire you to be a bodyguard. Hell, Tom's out right now trying to track down some of the best in the business as we speak. When you treated me like a normal person it was a nice change. I thought...maybe we could be friends."

"So, you hired me to be your friend?" Brody asked him.

"Well..."

"You don't like it when people treat you as something special because they have something to gain by knowing you." Brody continued. "So you said you'd give me and all my friends backstage passes if I'd hang out with you?"

"Well..."

"You're bribing me to get what you want from me?" Brody teased him with a little smile. Levi just started laughing.

"See what I mean about saying and doing dumb shit sometimes?" Levi sniggered. "I guess when you put it like that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense now does it?"

"Weirdly...I kind of get it." Brody assured him. "And don't think I'm going to refuse those backstage passes on a point of principle."

"I can live with that." Levi said as he stared to rummage around in his pockets for the backstage passes he had promised Brody. Just then, Brody's Ninja Comm started bleeping.

"One sec." Brody said, moving just a little bit away to answer it. He saw Calvin's face in the screen; he looked like he was in his training uniform.

"Brody, there's kudabot activity at the factory in Emery Street." Calvin told him.

"OK, I'll meet you there." Brody replied, before heading back to Levi. "Sorry Levi, there's something I need to take care of right now!"

"Hey, I was just..."

"I'll pick them up later!" Brody called back as he ran off. Wherever Brody was going, he was heading in a hurry, the kind of hurry that suggested someone he knew was in trouble. Levi started to sprint after Brody, hoping that there was some way he could help.

At the factory, Preston, Hayley, Sarah and Calvin arrived, finding kudabots outside. Some of them were stationed at entrances while others appeared to be moving in a kind of search pattern, indicating a patrol, looking for uninvited guests such as themselves. They could hear anguished screams that caused them all to shiver uncontrollably coming from inside.

"I think we can safely say they still have the Gold Ranger here." Hayley commented. "What are they doing to him?"

"I'm not sure I want to know." Sarah said, looking a little ill. "But whatever it is, he sounds like he needs help and fast."

"This looks like the least guarded entrance." Calvin said, pointing to a door with only a couple of kudabots standing either side of it.

"If we're quick and quiet, hopefully they won't get a chance to call for help." Sarah stated. "Only the sentries up on that roof and over at that corner can see the entrance."

"The patrol comes round every few minutes." Hayley stated. "Sarah and I will take care of the sentries. You take care of the patrol."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Calvin said as he pulled up his mask.

Quickly and silently, they all moved into position, taking care to keep out of view. Brody had already taught them a lot about manipulating peripheral vision. Sarah got into position on the roof, and waited until she saw Hayley get behind her sentry, while Calvin found the patrol. With a simple hand gesture, they all co-ordinated their attack, taking down their respective targets all at once so that none of them could see another go down and sound an alarm.

Sarah grabbed her sentry around the neck, something of an instinctive move since the techniques Brody had shown her were based on human sentries, but ripping a few wires out of its processing unit had similar effects to a take-down, at which she caught the now inert robot across her knee, before lowering it quietly to the roof to keep it from making noise. She looked around for the signal from the others to confirm that they had also completed their tasks. That just left the two kudabots flanking the door.

Sarah moved into position directly above them, while Calvin and Preston used crates in the yard to get closer without being seen. Once more with a signal, she dropped down, driving both of them forward, right into the waiting arms of Calvin and Preston who finished them off before they could make a sound.

"Alright, that's our way in clear." Calvin stated as they heard another scream coming from inside.

"Well, at least we know one thing." Preston gulped. "He's still alive."

"Time to break up this party." Sarah answered as they all headed for the door.

Inside, Ripcon was busy with his interrogation. He wanted to know what Tom knew, and he was determined to make him tell him one way or another.

Ripcon dragged a blade across Tom's flesh, causing the man to scream out in agony. The only thing Ripcon loved more than defeating an opponent was inflicting suffering, and this human was giving him ample opportunity for that. He had been working for so long he was considering taking a break, as much to give himself a rest as for any fear that he might inadvertently take things to a level the Gold Ranger couldn't take and he'd slip away before he was willing to talk. Ripcon put his blade down on the table, next to some of its brothers, which were also covered in Tom's blood.

"You're brave, I'll give you that!" Ripcon complimented him.

"We've been at this for hours." Tom hissed as he glared at Ripcon defiantly. "How long's it going to take you to figure out you're going to get nothing from me?"

This was only partly true. Tom did know one thing that Ripcon didn't and that was that he was NOT the Gold Ranger! He had figured out who was though, he had figured out that his brother, Levi was the Gold Ranger. What he didn't know was anything about this business to do with a space ship that Ripcon kept asking about. Levi hadn't told him anything about what happened to him in those missing weeks where Tom had assumed he was at the cabin working on his music as he had said, and so Tom literally had no information to give Ripcon.

Of course the problem was that Ripcon would never believe Tom, even if he told him the truth. In fact, Tom HAD told him the truth that he didn't know anything and Ripcon had tortured him anyway! It was one of the major flaws in the argument that torture was an effective interrogation tool. If the person being interrogated told the truth and yet got tortured anyway, then very quickly afterwards, they would no longer concern themselves with telling the truth, but start telling the interrogator whatever they wanted to hear in order to get them to stop hurting them!

Ripcon was beginning to lose patience with Tom. Seizing the Gold Ninja Power Star from the table, he grabbed Tom roughly by the neck, forcing him to look up at him.

"You're going to tell me who let you onto the Warrior Dome or I'll..."

"Ripcon!" Hayley called out as she, Preston, Sarah and Calvin ran into the room. Brody arrived by a side door shortly afterwards. They all turned to stare at him.

"Brody?" Sarah asked. "Where did you come from?"

"Side door." He told her. "It was completely unguarded."

"But...we just took out the guards at the back." Calvin commented. "We used the training you gave us..."

"Always use the path of least resistance." Brody answered with a shrug. "Looks like you could use a few more lessons."

"Are you all quite finished?" Ripcon asked, interrupting them. "Perfect, so glad you could join the party!"

"Look, he's got the Gold Ninja Power Star!" Preston said, pointing to the star in Ripcon's hand.

"Not only that, I have the Gold Ranger!" Ripcon told them, gesturing to Tom. They all looked more than a little ill seeing the state Ripcon had left him in with his torture. Brody furrowed his brows.

"Tom?" He asked. "Levi Weston's manager is the Gold Ranger?"

"That's right, and when I'm done with you, I'll have all six Power Stars!" Ripcon taunted them.

"Don't count on it!" Brody called out as he and his team pulled out their Power Stars. Before they could morph however, a large, steel mesh net dropped down on them, dragging them all to the floor. It was incredibly heavy and they were quickly entangled in it. Ripcon hit a command on his handset and an electrical charge surged through the net, preventing any of them from even trying to escape. They were all convulsing and jerking around in agony as the charge went through them. Ripcon started laughing as he approached them.

"You fell for the oldest trick in the book Ratbait. All I needed was to find the right cheese to bait my trap." Ripcon told him. "Now, you've delivered all six Power Stars right into my hands, along with all six Rangers."

"Are you sure about that?" He heard a voice say. Ripcon turned around just in time to receive a large, heavy boot straight to the face. Ripcon dropped the Gold Power Star and the handset controlling the net onto the floor. The handset shattered on the floor, at which the current stopped. They all looked up to see Levi standing in the middle of the room, retrieving the Gold Power Star.

"Oh my GOD!" Sarah screamed. "We've just been saved by LEVI WESTON!"

Levi went to Tom's side, releasing his shackles.

"Tom, are you alright?" Levi asked him.

"I will be once you skin this son of a bitch for me!" Tom stated. Levi just sighed and nodded. "Turn him into a football!"

"Sorry about this." Levi replied, before rounding on Ripcon, who was starting to get to his feet.

"What? Who are you?" Ripcon screamed. "What are you doing?"

"You were messin' with the wrong cowboy." Levi told him as a morpher appeared in his hand. "And now, now you're gonna pay for what you did to my brother! Ninja SPIN!"


	8. Gold Debut

Music blared as Cosmo strode purposefully towards the stage. Despite being taller, and having longer strides, Wrench was having trouble keeping up! Cosmo was fired up, and had called an emergency, last-minute broadcast. While the hunt for the Gold Ranger had been available on live-stream, as soon as he revealed himself and confronted Ripcon, Cosmo hurried to bring everything up.

"Get those cameras down there! I want every angle covered!" Cosmo yelled as he tossed his martini glass over his shoulder, having downed it in one swig. He sprayed his throat, before striding out onto the stage to a huge applause. Word had got out quickly that there was a special broadcast, and while it was far too short notice to organise charging a gate, he wanted the audience in and filling his studio, and so had taken the hit of papering the nearby population.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! You lucky, lucky few are fortunate enough to witness a once-in-a-lifetime special event!" Cosmo announced as he took to his stage, whipping up the crowd. "Here you have it, absolutely free of charge, the one and only debut of the GOLD RANGER!"

With that, he cast his hand over the large screen behind him as pyrotechnics fired off for effect. As it flickered into life, Cosmo prepared for the improvised play-by-play commentary of his life!

Back in the warehouse, the Rangers all stared as the light faded and Levi stood before them, morphed and ready for battle.

His costume differed from theirs; it had a kind of shoulder and chest piece that had decorative bordering almost like a tasselled shirt that would not look out of place at a barn dance, and a rim around his helmet similar to that of a Stetson.

"You? You're the Gold Ranger?" Ripcon screamed, realising that the whole time, he had been going after the wrong person. He had seen Tom with the Gold Power Star earlier, and just assumed that meant he was the Gold Ranger. It had never occurred to him that it wasn't his, or that perhaps even the briefcase he had been carrying wasn't his. He had been torturing Tom for information that he probably didn't even have! The worst part was when he realised that for all Tom's screams of pain and protest that he didn't know who had taken the Gold Ranger on the ship, he had been telling the truth!

"Oh my GOD!" Sarah squealed in delight. "LEVI WESTON is the GOLD RANGER!"

"You kidnapped and tortured my brother." Levi stated, staring down Ripcon. "After that, no way you live!"

"You seem awfully confident cowboy!" Ripcon sneered. "Let's see you back that up!"

The two rushed towards each other, beginning a frantic battle. The Rangers couldn't help staring, watching the new Ranger in action. He was a sight to behold, far from being some kind of novice; he seemed to really know what he was doing! Unarmed, he was keeping pace with one of Galvinax's most deadly warriors! Brody grabbed the net and started to scramble.

"Guys, the battle is bound to draw the attention of the kudabots outside!" Brody reminded them as he picked a strand and started to pull it, working in one direction to try and pull the edge of the net towards him. "We need to get out of this!"

"Oh...right, the net!" Preston said, concentrating on the net. "Chango!"

The Rangers all sighed and stared at him as the strands of the net changed. Calvin pulled it apart, looking to the strands in his hand.

"Silly string?" He asked. "You seriously turned the net into silly string?"

"It was the first thing I thought of!" Preston protested.

"And you couldn't have thought of this like...three minutes ago?" Hayley asked him. "You know, while we were being electrocuted?"

"Um..."

"Guys, priorities!" Sarah responded as she got to her feet, pointing to the entrance as kudabots started to enter. The remaining guards had obviously heard the commotion inside and had come in to help.

"Ninja SPIN!" They chorused together as they ran to intercept them. Meanwhile, Levi was locked in his own battle with Ripcon, eager to exact vengeance on him for what he had done to Tom. He leapt away, landing on a catwalk high above Ripcon to get some room.

"You think you can get away from me up there?" Ripcon screamed at him. He began firing energy blasts, some of which Levi dodged as he summoned his own weapon. It was a strange cross between a sword and a guitar, which he used to block and deflect some of Ripcon's blasts.

"You do NOT want to take on a Texan in a shooting contest!" Levi called out, gripping his weapon, pointing it at him and taking the trigger mechanism. "Rockstorm BLAST!"

Ripcon managed to block a few of the blasts, but Levi was so trigger-happy it was like trying to block the traffic on an eight lane expressway! Pretty soon he was getting slammed again and again by high powered blasts which knocked the wind right out of him. He barely managed to recover before Levi was once again on top of him, smashing into him with his weapon.

The evil warrior flew through a wall, tumbling away as Levi rushed out after him. Seeing the monster vulnerable, Levi could only think of Tom, who was still hiding inside, in desperate need of medical help now that he had taken the bullet for him. He could see that Ripcon had tortured him, and he didn't even need to ask to know that Tom would have taken every ounce of pain Ripcon dished out without a second thought to protect him. Tom had always been fiercely loyal to his family, and would have no doubt been prepared to die to keep Levi safe.

Levi kicked Ripcon hard in the chest, bringing him back to his feet, before swinging for him in a fury that rivalled the bulls he loved riding back home. Ripcon was already struggling, his strength leaving him with every blow. He locked blades with Levi, struggling to get his breath back.

"You, how did you get on the ship?" Ripcon yelled at him. "TELL ME!"

"Who let me on the ship?" Levi asked him. He was livid, even now the only thing that Ripcon cared about was finding out who the traitor on board was. He didn't care who he had hurt in his path to that information. Since he was determined to finish him, part of him wanted to tell Ripcon, to let him know in his final moments who had sold him out, but another part of him only wanted him to suffer more, to die none the wiser as to why he had sold his life.

"That's for me to know..." Levi told him, forcing back the blades towards him, powering up his own blade. "And you to NEVER find out!"

The blades were forced back into Ripcon, the concussive force of the energy punting Ripcon a significant distance. Levi started to power up his weapon, channelling everything he had into it as he took careful aim.

Up on the Warrior Dome, Cosmo was watching the battle, and could hear the audience reaction. They were lapping it up, and they were all on their feet, calling out, chanting and stomping their feet in a frenzy. He looked across to Wrench.

"Get him out of there!" He called out.

"What?" Wrench asked him.

"There's no rematch if they kill him!" Cosmo told him. "No one dies for free on my show!"

"But...but...how?"

"Figure something out!" Cosmo told him. "Just get him out of there, NOW!"

Wrench hit the button on the teleporter.

The other Rangers had finished up with their kudabot enemies and were running out just as Levi was preparing to finish off Ripcon. They all stood behind him, grabbing his shoulders and channelling energy into him.

"Do it Levi!" Brody told him. "Take him down!"

"Rockstorm Blast, FINAL STRIKE!" Levi called out, opening fire. Before the shot hit home though, there was a flash of light and the blast hit something, and there was a massive cloud of smoke. As it cleared, the team saw Wrench standing between them and Ripcon, his axe smoking as it took the brunt of the blast. Water started spouting from Wrench's eyes as he dropped it, shaking his hands.

"OW! That stings SO MUCH!" He whined. Sarah's mouth hung open in shock. She had heard Mick and Brody say his name, but she had hoped it was a pure coincidence. She recalled her helmet as she saw him.

"Wrench?" She gasped. "Oh my God...it IS you!"

"You know this guy?" Calvin asked her. She just nodded.

"He was part of Sledge's crew!" She told him. "I guess he switched employers!"

"I don't care who you are partner, my issue is with your man there!" Levi said curtly. "Step aside, or get blown away with him!"

"I don't think so! He's been recalled!" Wrench told them.

"You think he gets to cut and run..."

"We ALL need a little help sometimes." Wrench said, looking to Brody. "Right?"

Brody paused for a moment. Ripcon had tortured and tormented him most of his life, he was responsible for his father's death, he had caused nothing but misery and suffering for years...but there was one fact that he couldn't get past. While he knew that he hadn't exactly been altruistic in his motives, since it seemed he was now in a commanding position in Cosmo's crew, Wrench had disabled security on the Warrior Dome, and he had been the one to tell Brody they were coming to Earth. He was the one that let Brody know that his opportunity to escape had finally come. Like it or not, Brody owed him for that.

"Stand down." Brody told the team.

"What?" Hayley asked. "Brody, Ripcon's on his knees! He's..."

"I said STAND DOWN!" Brody reiterated. He looked to Wrench and levelled his sword his way. "Take him and go. Just remember...this is a one-time deal."

Wrench knew that many humans had an odd sense of fair play and debt that they found it difficult to shake. Good types like the Rangers often felt compelled to repay any debt they owed, even if doing so wasn't in their best interests. He had hoped to hang onto that bargaining chip a little longer, but he was sure that keeping on Cosmo's good side was likely to yield its own rewards. If he had to cash in this favour now, he would hopefully get it back with interest from Cosmo in the long run. Wrench grabbed Ripcon.

"You know what they say, the show must go on." Wrench stated. "Hope you don't mind us switching out partners."

With that, he disappeared. Levi looked to Brody.

"You let him get away!" He protested.

"He'll be back." Brody assured him. "Right now, your brother needs him. Take him to a hospital then meet us at the High School."

Levi didn't seem too happy with this resolution, but Brody had a point. As much as he wanted to see Ripcon pay for what he had done, right now the important thing was making sure Tom got the treatment he needed. He nodded, before heading inside to find his brother.

The Rangers watched as a Skullgator started to form up a little way from them. Brody looked to the rest of the team.

"Alright guys, we've done this before." Brody reminded them. "Ninja Zords, out of the shadows!"

Levi was thankful for his Ranger powers; it helped him get Tom to the hospital in double-quick time. He didn't need to worry about traffic or waiting for an ambulance; he was able to take Tom in pretty quickly himself.

He arrived at the front door of the hospital, where there were some orderlies waiting.

"This man needs help!" Levi called out, taking care not to identify his relationship to Tom in any way. Although he hadn't had the 'rules' explained to him, he was pretty sure that advertising the fact he was the Gold Ranger would be a bad idea. Not necessarily for himself, if anything he had to think that revealing that Levi Weston was also the Gold Ranger would likely only put all his sales into multiple-platinum range! Of course the fact was that many people worked for Levi, and he couldn't always guarantee being around. What happened to Tom was a wake-up call.

He hadn't thought much about trusting Tom with the Power Star. He had only given it to him out of convenience while he was at the signing, and then completely forgotten about the fact Tom had it. He had been so caught up in spending time with Brody, trying to win him over and make a friend that he had left Tom with the mother of all bulls eyes painted right on his forehead.

Tom might not have been blood, but he was Levi's brother. From what he remembered, Tom and his dad had found him busking on the streets in Texas, trying to scrape together enough money to eat. His memory from before then was still a mystery to him, but he was certain he had been on the streets. He imagined that perhaps he had seen and had to do things to survive that perhaps his brain blocked out to protect him, but after hearing him sing and taking him for something to eat, Tom's dad had taken a shine to Levi and taken him in.

He wasn't even really a Weston. His real surname...that was a mystery as well, something that Odious' programming had robbed him of, but whatever it was, for a decade no one had come looking for him, and to the best of anyone's knowledge there wasn't even a missing person's report out for him. He wasn't sure it mattered what his surname was. How much could his 'real family' have cared about him if they hadn't so much as looked for him. He hadn't been officially adopted, but he had joyfully taken on the Weston name when they took him in. They had fed him, clothed him and given him a home when no one else would; they were his family in every way that counted.

Being connected to him, being close to him, Tom had ended up in the crosshairs. What was worse was that when he had been taken he had the Power Star. Levi knew his power, and while he wasn't sure how it worked, he was certain it wasn't the kind of thing that should fall into the wrong hands. He had almost delivered a weapon as powerful as a nuke into the hands of the aliens attacking the Earth with all the care of the many people every year who left their loaded gun unattended in the house where their kids could get their hands on it. It was a miracle that things hadn't been so much worse.

As the orderlies brought a gurney, Levi laid his brother on it carefully.

"Jesus Christ, what happened to him?" One of the orderlies remarked, seeing the horrendous cuts all over Tom's body. "He looks like he was worked over by Sweeny Todd!"

"Please, take really good care of him." Levi told them.

"You can be sure of that." Another said as they rushed him inside. Levi watched them take him inside, before realising he was starting to draw a crowd. He was used to it, so it took him a moment but as he was looking around he had to remind himself that no one here knew he was Levi Weston. They were all clamouring around the Gold Ranger! He ran from the hospital, heading into the city in search of the school. He had been having fun with his powers up until now, but seeing what they were willing to do to Tom just because he happened to be close to him, he now knew that there was so much more to this than he knew, and perhaps it was time to hear from those that knew what they were doing.

Back on the Warrior Dome, Ripcon was in the infirmary, getting fixed up after his battle. Wrench was with him, having dragged him out of the battle. Ripcon glared hatefully at the cyborg. He didn't know what was worse, the fact that he was close to defeat, or the fact that Wrench had saved him. He'd almost have preferred being destroyed to knowing that he owed Wrench his life.

Cosmo, Odious and Galvinax came into the room as the physician finished looking him over. He looked to Cosmo, who seemed to be waiting to hear on the condition of the warrior.

"He'll be fine shortly." The physician told them. "He should rest up; regain some of his power..."

"Oh, believe me, he will." Cosmo stated, reaching into his coat and pulling out a stack of cash, handing it to the physician as a significant bonus. "Thank you for your hard work."

As the physician left, Ripcon could hear a low, rumbling growl coming from Galvinax. He knew he was in trouble. He had promised the Gold Ranger, he had promised answers on how the Gold Ranger was able to access the ship, and yet here he was, not only empty-handed, but in the infirmary having only narrowly been saved from death.

"Champ, I..."

"Save your excuses Ripcon!" Galvinax interrupted him harshly. "You promised me the Gold Ranger. You told me you knew who he was..."

"I got the wrong human!" Ripcon rushed out. "They...they all look the same to me..."

"Even YOU can't be THAT ignorant!" Cosmo laughed as he looked to Ripcon, seemingly enjoying his suffering. "If it wasn't for the fact I've still got programming potential in you, I'd have let the Gold Ranger finish you off. No one dies on my show...not for free anyway!"

"Champ, I know which one is the Gold Ranger now!" Ripcon pleaded.

"Yes, and now he's joined the other Rangers!" Galvinax roared, grabbing him by his one remaining horn. "If you fail me one more time, I'll snap off your other horn!"

With that, he stormed out of the room. Odious started stroking her chin as she looked to him thoughtfully.

"You know, it's funny how you made such a mistake about the Gold Ranger. Why, the one you chose didn't look even remotely like him." Odious mused. "It's almost like you don't WANT to find the traitor."

She moved a little closer.

"Perhaps the reason you can't find the traitor is because you ARE the traitor." She suggested.

"WHAT!" Ripcon screamed as she left. "You can't...How dare...Come back here!"

He followed her, irate at her accusation, which he was sure she would probably be spreading around the ship. Cosmo held back with Wrench for a moment.

"So, the Pink Ranger...she seemed to know you." Cosmo said as he looked to him.

"Um...yes, I never got much of a good look at her before." Wrench responded uncomfortably. "She was with the last team."

"Wait, she was a Ranger?" Cosmo asked him. Wrench shook his head.

"No, no nothing like that!" Wrench protested. "She was just...there. She was more of a glorified cheerleader than anything else."

"And now she knows you're here." Cosmo said, drumming his fingers on his chin thoughtfully. "The Gold Ranger wants Ripcon, The Red Ranger wants Ripcon, Ripcon wants both of them...and you and the Pink Ranger...my boy, for a free broadcast, this has given me writing material for weeks!"

"It...it has?" Wrench asked nervously, unable to help noticing the fact that he was in the thought processes Cosmo was spit balling. Cosmo just patted him on the shoulder.

"You did me a solid pulling Ripcon out of there." Cosmo told him. "Don't think I'll forget that!"

As he left, Wrench just sat on the table and held his head in his hands.

"That's what I'm afraid of." Wrench muttered.


	9. Levi's Story

The Rangers returned to the school, finding Levi pacing outside. With the school being closed, the main entrances were locked, but having been told to wait there for them, and being unable to find his way inside, he was waiting outside for them. Fortunately, neither students nor staff wanted particularly to be anywhere near the school while it was closed. A student had once overheard Principal Hastings telling another staff member the only reason she was within a hundred miles of the school when she didn't have to be was because her house was less than a hundred miles away! As a result, for once Levi was alone. If even one person saw him, it was likely there'd be a media circus there within five minutes!

As they approached, Brody took the lead as usual. Hayley was holding Calvin's hand, bouncing with excitement, while Sarah was at the back, clutching Preston's arm tightly, and kind of hiding behind him, kind of like she wasn't sure if she should be hiding from him and being unable to stop looking at him. As they approached, Levi stood before Brody, with his hands on his hips.

"You let him get away!" Levi said impatiently. Brody took a deep breath.

"I know..."

"You saw what he did to my brother; he butchered him like a hog!" Levi interrupted him angrily.

"And I can understand your anger! Believe me; he's done a lot more to me and my family." Brody told him. "But...I owed Wrench a favour."

They all just stared at him. Brody gestured to the building.

"We'll speak inside." He told them.

"Well I don't see how we can do that, the door's locked." Levi stated. Brody gestured to him to follow him.

"We're not using the front door." Brody told him. "Prepare to learn Ranger secret number one, where the real doors to the base are!"

Inside the Ranger Base, the Nexus Prism had once more burst into life, but the throwing stars littering the floor, having rebounded off it, indicated that this vision was not to show them access to a new Power Star. This one seemed instead to be some kind of portent, possibly a warning of something coming.

They watched as a ship flew through an asteroid field, blasting boulders the size of skyscrapers apart with ease. The whole thing looked a lot like a lion crouched, ready to pounce.

"Suffering circuits, it's some kind of space ship." Redbot commented. Mick was unusually quiet as he observed it. "It looks like it's from the Lion Galaxy."

"It is." Mick said with a cold note in his tone. Redbot knew that Mick came from the Lion Galaxy, but he never talked much about it. He had been a slave on the Warrior Dome much longer than he or Brody, and they knew that like many slaves he had been sold into service. However, beyond that he refused to discuss the matter.

"What does it mean?" Redbot asked him. Mick took a while to answer.

"I don't know...yet." Mick finally answered. Redbot's sensors were quite advanced, and he could tell between the length of time it took Mick to answer and the tone and stress of his voice he wasn't telling the whole truth. He didn't know why Mick would lie about the ship, which he seemed to recognise, or why he wouldn't be forthcoming about what its appearance likely meant, but he also knew that Mick never said much of anything about the Lion Galaxy, and what happened there. It was unlikely trying to press him on the matter would do any good.

The extractor fan opened up, and Levi stepped in, marvelling at the base he saw before him. The Rangers followed him, watching as he looked around.

"Wow, you guys...you really put together something pretty spectacular here." He complimented them.

"Why? What were you expecting?" Brody asked him.

"Well...not meaning to put you down or anything, but...your teenagers...and you're working as far as I can see with no funding and no outside assistance." Levi replied. "I was expecting more of a club-house than anything else, but this...you have computers and monitors and..."

His words tailed off as he noticed Redbot.

"...one of those things." He replied, approaching Redbot slowly. As he got there, Redbot started to mimic his motions for a bit.

"I'm sorry, can I help you?" Redbot asked, causing Levi to jump. He looked to the others.

"How did you get access to all of this stuff?" He asked them.

"Well, the room is donated...unknown to them of course...by the school Shop Class." Calvin told him. "That over there USED to be the compressor to a paint unit until Victor and Monty got their hands on it. The room's been out of order since then so we've used it as our base."

"The computers are mostly from storage. Whenever the school updates they just throw the old ones into storage." Hayley told him. "Between Sarah and Mick, we can usually build much better computers than are available on the open market anyway."

"Which one is Sarah again?" Levi asked.

"This one back here." Preston told him as Sarah ducked behind him. "Ow, you're gripping a little tight there Sarah!"

"I can't believe you guys have been doin' all this for so long...I just got started a few weeks back." Levi commented.

"Oh, that reminds me! Um...never mind the stars on the floor, I'll clear them up...but the Prism did make two for you." Mick told Levi as he came over to him, rummaging around in his many pockets for them. He pulled out a gold one first. "This is the Storm Star, it'll give you control over wind and lightning! It'll give you a real power boost that should finish off just about anything."

"Well I can't wait to get another crack at that horned guy." Levi told him bluntly. "When I do, he's going to get a taste of this for sure."

"And this, this one is your Zord Star!" Mick said, handing over a brown star. Levi just looked to it. It had an image of his helmet on it.

"Zord, that's...one of those big robot things?" He asked. The Rangers just nodded. "Wow! I can't wait to find out what my Zord is!"

"Well, you're going to have to for a little while yet." Calvin told him. "There are kind of a few rules we have to follow."

"The first is that no one can know what we're doing here. We have to keep our identities secret, even from those we care about." Brody told him. "Now, I know by now Tom's probably figured all this out, so..."

"It's fine, I'll make sure it doesn't go any further." Levi sighed as he thought about it. "It's my fault he got dragged into this in the first place. I asked him to keep my Power Star for safe keeping. I didn't have room in my pockets for it. If I'd just held onto it, none of this would have happened."

"If I can make a recommendation." Mick said, reaching over and taking Levi's hat. He popped the Power Star inside, and then put it back on Levi's head. The singer just shook his head.

"Now why didn't I think of that?" He muttered.

"The second rule is you can't use your powers for personal gain." Brody told him. "We're here to help others, not ourselves."

"It's alright; you won't be seeing the Gold Ranger on any album covers any time soon." Levi assured them.

"And lastly, you can never escalate a fight unless your opponent forces you to." Brody told him. "Those Zords are cool, but they do cause a fair bit of property damage, so..."

"Right, got it. Only bring out the Zords if the bad guys go all Godzilla on us." Levi interrupted him. The Rangers all stared at him. "What? Because I'm a cowboy I'm not allowed to know about old Japanese monster movies? That's bordering on racist you know!"

"So...how did you get your Power Star?" Levi heard a voice say. He had to look around to see where it came from, but seeing a rather nervous looking Sarah in the background, he had to presume it was her.

"Yeah, the last time we saw it; it was still inside the Ninja Nexus Prism." Brody told him. He gestured to himself, Preston and Sarah. "It flew away from the three of us with the Gold Power Star inside, and then when it landed in front of them, it was gone." He gestured to Calvin and Hayley.

Levi grabbed a seat and sat down, preparing to explain what he knew.

"Well, the thing is, a few months back I went to my cabin outside of town to work on material for my new album." Levi started to explain. "Sometimes I find it hard to concentrate if too much is going on, so every now and then I'll just go somewhere I can be alone, away from all the distractions so that I can concentrate on my work."

He cast his mind back, thinking about his time there. Once he had escaped from the Warrior Dome, he had returned to the cabin, where the familiar environment and possessions had started to kick-start a lot of his memories. It was one of a few such places Levi liked to go to whenever he needed some quiet time to work on writing away from the constant distraction of interviews, fan events and suchlike. If he didn't make a schedule for himself, in order to promote him, Tom could easily have every hour of his day filled by 7:30 in the morning!

"I was at my cabin, sitting by a lake, working on stuff for my new album, when this big crystal thing fell out of the sky. That thing!" He said, pointing to the Nexus Prism. "It came up to me like it was alive. Inside, the Gold Power Star was glowing, like it was calling to me! I don't know how I knew I could do it, but I reached inside and I took it. As soon as I had, the crystal...the Nexus Prism...took off again."

"That was when it must have come to find us." Calvin surmised.

"So what happened after that?" Hayley asked him. Levi thought back to it.

"I barely had the Power Star in my hands, before the next thing I know; some of those robot things grabbed me. I tried to fight them off, but there were too many and they caught me by surprise. Then, one of those monsters came. It was some woman with robes...she looked like a fox."

"Madame Odious." Mick, Redbot and Brody chorused together.

"She's always up to something." Brody commented. "I knew this didn't feel like Ripcon's playbook."

"She kept me prisoner on the Warrior Dome space ship." Levi told them. "I think she wanted to learn about my powers, maybe use them herself. She locked me into some machine, stuck me in some kind of helmet that messed with my mind. I thought I was done for, like she was going to drive me insane. By the time I was freed by your Zord, I didn't know who I was or where I was from, all I knew was that I had to get off the ship and that the Power Star could give me the power to do it."

"She scrambled your brain?" Preston asked.

"Believe me, when I got out of there, I couldn't have told you anything about myself. I was just lucky I had my wallet and a rental receipt for my cabin. I had no idea who I was or where I lived. Once a cab driver took me out there and I saw all my stuff, my memories all started to fit back together. I figured out who I was, and that's when I called Tom and told him I was ready to return."

"Wow, no wonder it took you a while to resurface." Preston said with a shudder.

"I feel bad for having Tom hold the Gold Power Star. Poor guy never knew what he was holding." Levi said sadly. "I never knew how far they'd be willing to go to get it, and me back."

"We're glad to have you as a team-mate." Brody answered. "If any of this should have taught us anything, it's exactly why they all need to be stopped."

"You can say that again!" Levi answered. "You don't need to worry, as long as those freaks are around, you can count on the Gold Ranger."

"I can't believe we actually get to fight alongside THE Levi Weston!" Hayley said excitedly.

"Hey, I can't believe I get to fight alongside THE Power Rangers!" Levi responded in kind. "Oh, that reminds me, Brody, I owe you for your day as my bodyguard."

"WHAT?" Preston, Hayley, Calvin and Sarah all yelled.

"Uh...yeah, remember that job I said I had?" Brody asked. "Levi asked me to be a bodyguard."

"And all he asked for in return was backstage passes for him and his friends." Levi answered, pulling the passes out of his pocket. "Five passes, just as promised."

There were squeals of delight as they came to take the passes, but it was interrupted as they heard a thud in the background. They all turned to see Sarah lying unconscious on the floor.

"What...what happened is she OK?" Levi asked.

"I think she might just be a little overwhelmed." Hayley commented. Levi went over to Sarah, lifting her up a little. She started to stir in his arms.

"Did I fall asleep in the lab again?" She muttered. "You guys are not going to believe the dream I had..."

"I think I just might little lady." Levi said with a smile. Sarah mumbled out something incomprehensible before falling limp in his arms once more.

The following day, back at the shopping mall, crowds gathered as Levi once again called a meet-and-greet for his fans. Normally he'd do the announcement the same day, but with the attacks, the area had been locked down and no one in particular had been in much of a hurry to return.

Now though, it seemed that enthusiasm was as high as ever. With the exception of the Rangers, most of them had even dressed up in their costumes again for the occasion. The Rangers had already made an agreement with Levi that none of them would be eligible for the free pass. Not only did they have their own passes, it also didn't seem fair to take one from another fan.

Tom got a cheer as he came to the table. It was clear he was hurting, not that anyone would blame him, but he took his commitment to Levi so seriously that even in spite of Ripcon's torture, he was back on his feet as quickly as he could be. He came to the table and took up the microphone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we're so glad to see how many of you are here today. It speaks volumes to how much you love Levi, and believe me we are all so grateful." Tom told them. "Now, without further ado, here he is, Levi Weston!"

As the crowd applauded, Sarah felt a pair of arms wrap around her. The familiar woollen jumper gave away that it was Preston.

"Preston, what are you doing?" She asked.

"Oh, I know you can get a little overwhelmed at these things." He teased her.

"Shut up." She whispered.

"I just wanted to make sure you didn't hurt yourself..."

"Shut up!"

"I mean, the ground here is awfully hard and I know how you get around Lev...OW!" He quickly let go as Sarah stomped on his foot, but the distinct shade of pink in her cheeks was a dead give-away. As Levi approached the table, he picked up the microphone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, before we go any further, I have an announcement to make." Levi told them. "As my brother Tom said, how many of you are here today speaks volumes of how much you love me, and believe me, the feeling is mutual. However, the actions of some of you to help each other and keep each other safe speaks volumes to how much you care about each other too. In particular, two young men went to great lengths to evacuate as many of you as possible. That is why I am proud to give two back stage passes to Victor Vincent and Montgomery Williams!"

The crowd erupted in applause hearing this. The Rangers joined in too. While Victor and Monty could be irritating and more than a little thoughtless, they had gone out of their way to help people escape when the attack came. Everyone looked around, Levi included as they waited for them to come and get their passes. Unfortunately, there was no sign of them. Tom whispered something in Levi's ear.

"Um...OK, I've just been advised they're still in the hospital, so we'll get word to them how they can collect their passes. I think we can all agree they deserve them." Levi continued. "Now, without further ado, the winner of my costume contest! Well, I have to say you all went way out of your way and it was a little difficult to decide, but one really did stand out to me. I'd like to award this pass to my 'biggest fan' Mary Masterson!"

They heard a screech that was so loud and piercing, it split the crowd. They all turned to see a young girl, maybe only about eleven years old, dressed in a white body-suit, with a large fan strapped to her back, and a sign declaring her 'Levi's BIGGEST Fan' taped to her chest. She ran the full length of the courtyard as Levi gestured her forward, leaping into his arms as he hugged her tightly. The whole crowd applauded as he spun her around, before posing with her for pictures as he handed her the pass.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, my biggest fan!" He told them, posing for the cameras. The team could all see Brody looking at him and could guess that this had to seem a lot like the creatures he had seen at the Warrior Dome.

"I guess now we know why you had such a chip on your shoulder about celebrities." Hayley remarked.

"Celebrities aren't so bad." Brody said with a smile as he saw the look on Mary's face as Levi spoke to her about the arrangements for her backstage meeting with him. The little girl looked like every Christmas and Birthday in her life had all fallen on the same day. "Some people use their fame to make the world a better place, and that's just fine with me."


	10. Show And Tell

The school was abuzz with excitement as the next week began. Levi's concert was only a few short days away, and many of the students were going. Tickets had gone on sale and been sold out within minutes online, and even the ones that weren't going to see the concert were waiting to stream it live online, many of them from directly outside the concert venue just so they could be CLOSE to the concert while it was going on.

Mick walked through the corridor, greeting a few of his students cheerfully. Things were going pretty well for Mick all things considered, while the technology of Earth was considerably less advanced than that on the Warrior Dome, most of the stuff he worked on with the students was very reminiscent of the toys they gave children back home on his home planet deep within the Lion Galaxy. It was very much like he was literally getting paid to play with toys all day! He heard teachers constantly complaining about how they didn't get paid enough, but since he lived in the school unbeknownst to them, he essentially had no living costs, and having a very simplistic set of priorities he found his pay was pretty much all he needed to be more than happy.

The students for the most part also loved him. Mick's teaching style was...different...to say the least. He didn't really know what the curriculum was meant to cover, and so he kind of made up his lesson plan as he went along, tailoring it to suit the individual needs of the project that particular student was working on. He also cared more about ensuring the kids learned than whether or not their projects actually worked when all was said and done meaning that even when the kids did find their lovingly-crafted new project falling apart the first time they turned it on, they were more interested in figuring out what went wrong and repairing it than worrying if Mick was going to flunk them for one mistake. The upshot was that he was quickly getting a name as one of the more popular teachers in the school.

"Hey Kyle, that muffler you ordered arrived this weekend!" Mick called to one of his students. "If you've got some time at lunch I can help you install..."

He bumped into someone, turning and apologising as he helped pick up a few folders. He got up, realising it was Principal Hastings he was looking at.

"I'm um...I'm so sorry." Mick told her.

"It's fine; just try to watch where you're going next time." Principal Hastings grumbled out quickly. Mick noticed some bruising on her face and wrist.

"Sorry, I didn't think I hit you that hard..."

"It's fine, really." She insisted. "This weekend I had an...accident..."

"Really?" He asked. "Does this accident have a name? Is someone...?"

"Mr Kanik, I assure you I am absolutely fine!" She responded sternly. "Before you ask, no I am not being abused. I am currently between partners. I merely had a little...unpleasantness...this weekend."

"Unpleasantness?" He asked. "A moment ago you said it was an accident."

"An ACCIDENT that was UNPLEASANT!" She humphed as she snatched the folders from him. "Now if there's nothing else..."

"Oh, I was just wondering...do you still want to go to that museum?" He asked her. "I'd really like to see what these dinosaurs are all about. I'll be free this weekend..."

"This weekend I have another engagement." She replied before storming off. Mick watched her go and just shrugged.

"Guess another time then." He answered with a shrug, before he turned around, this time almost running into Sarah and Hayley. He held his hands up.

"I am REALLY bad at this walking thing today." He chuckled. "Hey guys, how are things?"

"Oh, not so bad." Sarah answered.

"Have...either of you heard from Levi?" Mick asked them.

"I'm afraid not. He's been busy." Hayley told him.

"Yeah, we were trying to get him to come to training but he's really snowed under with the concert." Sarah answered, cradling her folders to her chest and looking away a little dreamily as she got a massive, bright grin on her face. "But he did a great job up until now, and he's in great shape! I'm sure once he's done with that, he'll be around showing us what he's got."

"Show us what he's got?" Hayley said, looking to her as she shoved Sarah playfully. "Freudian slip much?"

"Well...of course I meant...his moves...I mean his FIGHTING moves." Sarah stammered out, trying to clarify her statement and get some of the heat off her. "Oh hey, there's Preston, he said he wants me to rehears a new trick with him! Preston, I'm just coming!"

"She's more than a little distracted isn't she?" Mick asked. Hayley just nodded.

"I'm just glad she's able to retain consciousness." Hayley answered. Just then, there was an uproar from the entrance lobby. They made their way over as everyone started to file around and gather near the door.

They barely managed to get to the front in order to see Victor and Monty coming into the school, Monty carrying Victor's books while Victor moved gingerly, one arm in a sling and using a cane to help him. During the attack someone had locked the doors of the mall trapping people in the main square with the kudabots. Victor had used his own body as a battering ram to break a shop window to let them escape into the safety of the mall.

Victor smiled and gave a little wave, taking in the adulation. He had spent the weekend in hospital to recover.

"Thank you, thank you, it really isn't necessary." Victor said as he tried to get to his locker.

"Come on people, clear him a path." Monty said, trying to play blocker and clear him a path to his locker. "Hero of Summer Cove coming through..."

"Yeah, real hero. Way to use your head for something useful." Ace called out, eliciting a laugh from some of his hangers-on. Other students quickly rounded on him, throwing cat-calls his way as they left. Sarah came across as Victor started to struggle with his combination lock.

"Hey, it's alright, I'll give you a hand." She told him. "Don't let what Ace said get to you. He's just a jackass."

"My cousin is a unique one, that's for sure." He sighed. She just furrowed her brows.

"Your cousin?" She asked. "I thought he'd be happy there's a hero in the family. What you did was pretty amazing."

"I don't think..."

"Victor, a lot of people were hurt, but it could have been a LOT worse." Sarah told him. "I'm pretty sure you saved lives that day. Um...what's your combination?"

"082317." He told her. Sarah started to input the numbers.

"08, 23...um...17?" She asked, before looking to him. The date was very familiar to her. It was the day she had started at Summer Cove High. "Isn't that the day...?"

"It sure is!" Victor said, looking around cautiously, making sure no one was looking, before unzipping his letterman jacket. Sarah looked on, shocked as she saw that underneath, he was wearing a Power Rangers t-shirt, one that depicted her team! "It's the day the Power Rangers were first seen in Summer Cove!"

Sarah felt a little relieved by this. It had briefly slipped her mind that it was the day she started that her life had changed in the most amazing way when she got her Power Star. It was pure coincidence that it was also the day she started. She was a little worried that he was still fostering false hopes of something happening between them.

"Right, the Rangers!" She said with a little smile.

"I am their BIGGEST fan!" He said, his eyes growing wide and bright, and his voice losing the usual tone of arrogance that he normally projected. "They're the real heroes, out there, fighting all those monsters...I...I try to live up to them but...well...I know I can be a little..."

"Hey, they're pretty good role models to have." Sarah told him as she opened his locker for him. "And seeing the way you helped those people, I'm sure they'd tell you that you did a pretty good job of it."

As he reached inside for some books, Sarah noticed some dog tags hanging in his locker. She caught a quick look at them, seeing a name on them.

"Sergeant Vernon Victor." She read aloud. Victor caught her looking at them and just closed over his locker. "Are they your dad's?"

"Yeah, they are." He answered.

"We need to get to class." Monty said, trying to hurry Victor away. Sarah though was still interested.

"Wait, I didn't see your dad at parent's night." She commented. "Where is he now?"

"Arlington." Victor shot back. Sarah's smile fell and she suddenly wished the ground would swallow her whole. It was no wonder Victor hadn't wanted to talk about his dad.

"Victor, I'm..."

Her words tailed off though as he walked away. She just picked up her bag and sighed.

"Good job Sarah." She muttered, leaning against the lockers, the back of her head hitting one of them. "Good job."

Up on the Warrior Dome, Cosmo was heading to the engineering department, somewhere he rarely visited, after receiving a message from Wrench. He was just finishing up a call from the network as he arrived.

"Well I don't very much care if you're still getting heat from the Lion Galaxy, he knew what he was getting into when he signed on for the match!" Cosmo stated. "Oh? They're NOT lodging another complaint? Well what do they...?"

He listened with interest, holding up a finger as Wrench was picking up a control unit, preparing to activate his latest creation. He had been working on another creation for a while now, but since Cosmo had seen Sarah's reaction to finding out Wrench now worked for them, he had re-doubled his efforts.

It made Wrench nervous when Cosmo had started to muse and ponder this information. He was always looking for the next big-money feud. He already had Ripcon and his feud with both the Red Ranger, and now also the Gold Ranger, but when he started thinking about a connection between Wrench and Sarah, it started to stray into uncomfortable territory. Wrench very much liked his new position on the Warrior Dome. It was a VAST improvement over Sledge and his crew.

He had access to some of the greatest technology available. He had free reign over what he could do in his lab, and he had all the interns he could ever want to assist him. He was getting paid, and his new quarters not only dwarfed his old quarters on Sledge's ship, but Sledges' ship as a whole! He was even being given the opportunity to look at sending warriors into battle, something that brought with it a percentage of the viewing revenue. The last thing he wanted now was to spend time trading blows with the Rangers. Why would he want to risk what he had now?

"Really? The new ruler you say! Now that IS interesting!" Cosmo said with a smirk. "Well, an appearance on the show is bound to improve her approval ratings. Goodness knows the last thing anyone wants is an embarrassment as a leader."

He listened to the conversation on the other end and nodded.

"I'll have legal draw up a contract right away." Cosmo told him. "Yes, I look forward to hearing your terms. Bye now!"

He hung up and looked to Wrench.

"Wrench my boy; you had something to show me?" He asked. Wrench just nodded.

"I do sir, those improvements you asked for...I've finally finished them!" Wrench told him gleefully. He pointed to a monitor, which linked to a sealed testing arena. It was a circular room which had doors interspersed around it. The centre had a hatch which opened up, and smoke started to billow out theatrically. Wrench turned on some music for effect. Cosmo already had something else on his attention, so between this strange deal with the Lion Galaxy, the Red Ranger and the Gold Ranger, Wrench hoped that with just one more distraction, he might just give Cosmo more to think about than sending him into a grudge match.

"Sir, I'd like to introduce you to...the BASHER BOT!" He declared, as something rose out of the smoke. The smoke cleared as the music hit a crescendo. Cosmo just sighed.

"Really?" He asked. "It's a kudabot."

"Ah, sir..."

"It's a kudabot." Cosmo reiterated.

"But I've greatly improved..."

"It's a KUDABOT!" Cosmo said a little more forcefully. "It's a kudabot with a different head and a sword instead of a spear!"

"I know it may look that way, but I've upgraded virtually every aspect of the kudabot design." Wrench assured him. "Its chassis is made of Karnovian steel, so it's 50 percent lighter...but 67 percent stronger! Its servos have been re-worked to be faster and stronger, increasing its output by 89 percent! Its combat algorithms have been completely rewritten..."

"Spare me the techno-babble Wrench." Cosmo told him. Wrench punched a few keys on the keyboard, at which ten doors opened around the arena and ten kudabots entered. He typed in a few more keys.

"Setting the basher bot as a target and...here we GO!" Wrench said, directing Cosmo towards the screen. He sat and watched as the kudabots attacked. He was about to say something, but before he could, there were crashes and explosions coming from the testing arena.

"That...that is..."

"That would be one basher bot." Wrench said proudly as there was one more explosion, before the arena fell silent. "And that would be no more kudabots!"

"Interesting, very interesting." Cosmo said, stroking his chin. "How many do you have?"

"I have a dozen..."

"Perfect." Cosmo said with a smile. "Let me just go and talk to Ripcon. He swears he has someone that he swears is really going to shake things up for the Rangers."

"You're giving Ripcon another chance?" Wrench asked. "I thought Galvinax..."

"Galvinax is a little dark on him right now, which means he can only go up in his estimations." Cosmo told him. "I can send him down and take advantage of his popularity with the Red and the Gold Rangers. If he wins, we're up a Power Star. If not..."

He just shrugged.

"Either way, I'm the only one that wins." Cosmo stated, before pulling out his phone. "Hello, legal? Yes, I want to meet someone in my office right now! I have a contract that I need to negotiate pronto!"

Over at the Tien building, Al was working hard, looking through the latest set of takings when the mail came by. He looked up when he heard a loud thunk, and saw large package and an envelope being put on his desk. He looked up, seeing that the runner, Morgan, was standing over him.

"You going to keep us waiting all day?" He asked.

"What?" Al asked him.

"Mr Tien is such a tight-ass; he hardly ever gives away anything." Morgan told him. "You know what I got for a Christmas Bonus last year? A twenty dollar gift certificate for the pharmacy!"

"That's a Christmas Bonus?" Al asked. He just shrugged.

"Around here it is." Morgan stated. "Well, are you going to leave me hanging or what?"

Al reached to the package and opened it, finding inside a bottle of Scotch. Morgan picked it up, letting out a long, low whistle as he looked at it.

"Now THAT is a VERY nice bottle!" He commented. "Do you have any idea how much this costs? It beats the shit out of anything I'm expecting to get."

Al opened the envelope and looked to the letter inside. Morgan looked to Al, smiling, but it started to slip as he saw the expression on Al's face. He didn't seem to be happy at all with what he had seen.

"Al, is everything...is everything alright?" He asked. Al just grabbed the letter and got up from his desk, heading for the elevator. "Al, where are you going?"

"Enjoy the whisky!" Al snapped. Morgan just smiled.

"Really?" He asked, putting it in his trolley. "Waste not want not!"

By the time he got to the top floor, Al was livid. He didn't even care that no one saw Mr Tien without an appointment. He was just about through with all of the games and the pressure tactics, but this latest one had stepped over the line. He got off the elevator and headed for the door.

"Mr Tien is meeting with...sir; you can't go in there...sir!" The PA protested as he strode past her desk. The security guards approached, gesturing him to stop. One of them had his metal detector wand at the ready. Al just got in his face.

"I'm a convicted felon you moron! I couldn't carry a weapon if I wanted to!" Al yelled at him as he barged through the door. Inside, Mr Tien was practicing his putting, looking up at the rude interruption. Al was struggling as the guards grabbed him.

"Let him go." Mr Tien insisted. The guards released Al at his insistence, only for him to gesture him forward. "You made me miss my shot."

Al threw the envelope down on the floor in front of him.

"What the hell is this?" Al demanded. "You paid off my mortgage?"

"Consider it a gift." Mr Tien told him. "I can be very generous when I want to be."

"Tell that to the mail room guys who got a twenty dollar pharmacy voucher." Al stated. Mr Tien just looked at him coldly.

"Most people would be grateful to be in your position Mr Thompson." Mr Tien said with a considerably less friendly tone in his voice. "Don't mistake my generosity for weakness."

Al picked up the letter and held it out to Mr Tien.

"I don't live that life anymore." Al reiterated. Mr Tien just folded his arms.

"Enjoy the gift." He answered. Al just turned on the spot and strode out of the office, slamming the door behind him. The security guards escorted him back to the elevator, sending him back down towards his office. Al knew this wasn't the last he was going to hear about this. Mr Tien had made it clear that he was determined, and that he was not a man who liked to be told no.


	11. Surprise Attack

In the hotel gym, Levi was working hard. He had his concert coming up, and he was so dedicated to his fans he always felt like he owed it to them to be on top form at all times. He certainly allowed himself a few treats every now and again, in particular he loved cheeseburgers and would joyfully eat them morning noon and night if they were better for him, but he always did what he could to keep himself on top form for his fans. He ate well, he didn't smoke, he did extensive vocal exercises several times a day, and most of all, he worked to ensure his body was always in top shape.

He had always gotten plenty of exercise on the farm back home anyway, riding, working the fields, rounding up the livestock and suchlike, but once his music career started to take off and he was able to outfit a good gym, he worked out every day.

The hotel was more than happy to accommodate him and had set aside some time where they closed off the gym to other guests to let him work out in peace. The fact was that usually when people saw him in the gym, everyone, himself included, would get distracted from their workout. He was just in the middle of his set on the bench press while Tom went over his schedule.

Tom had checked himself out of the hospital despite their assertion he should stay. It wasn't a huge issue as Levi was more than capable of making sure there was a doctor on staff in case he needed anything, but it was only a couple of days since Ripcon had tortured him. Levi still felt badly about that, Tom had taken the hit to protect him.

"So the night before the concert we've got you an interview on Good Morning Summer Cove, we have a photo op. At the local kid's ward at one, and then back to the concert venue for three." Tom told him. "We'll have sound checks, and of course you have your backstage pass winners to meet and greet."

"Jeez Tom, you've been working overtime on that schedule." Levi said as he racked his weights, sitting up and mopping sweat from the back of his neck. "I'd have thought with a couple of days in the hospital you'd have taken some time off work."

"I took my tablet with me." Tom assured him. Levi just sighed.

"Of course you did." He muttered. "You do have to admit though; my dance card is pretty full this week. What about time to see the guys?"

"Guys?" Tom asked him. "Levi, we're around you most of the time..."

"No, the...the GUYS." Levi said to clarify, pointing to his hat in the corner, which had his Power Star in it. Tom took a deep breath and looked to him.

"Levi, you have people counting on you." Tom reminded him. "You were gone for a couple of months; the label's been pretty patient with you."

"I know they have, they've been great." Levi told him. "But I kind of feel like..."

"You have a whole world of fans out there that have been waiting for this tour for close to a year." Tom reminded him. Levi just looked to him.

"I don't know Tom; I'm going to be gone quite a bit soon." Levi told him. "I thought maybe I should at least get a heads' up from them on what they expect of me."

"Levi, they've been doing this before you got here, they'll be doing this once you're gone." Tom reminded him. Just then, there was a tremor, and the whole room shook. Tom steadied himself on some equipment. "Personally, I'd be a whole lot happier if you'd skip this stop. Between the monsters and the earthquakes, the sooner we put this town to our rudder the better."

"I don't know Tom, I kind of like it here." Levi said with a smile. "Besides, you said it yourself, people have been waiting. I've promised those fans a concert and I plan to keep my word."

"You know using my own words against me is playing dirty right." Tom chuckled. "Next time, I'll just give up your name and let you take your own torture."

"No you won't Tom." Levi replied. "That's what I love about you. You're always thinking of others first."

"I'm always thinking of YOU first." Tom corrected him as another tremor hit. "Yeah, I can see why you like this place."

As he left, Levi went to the mats to start stretching off to finish up his workout. He did feel badly about the fact he hadn't made the time for the other Rangers he wanted to. If nothing else, he still didn't know as much as they did about what being a Ranger entailed. So far he hadn't even called his Zord yet. Of course, he also knew that he did have other commitments, and for at least three months, the others would have to do without him for the most part. He was sure he could come back of he was needed, and he'd more than happily leave them his Zord. Maybe once his world tour was over he could dedicate more time to them, but until then, other people needed him too.

Cosmo didn't come down to Earth often. In fact, he had only come down to Earth once before, when he came to pick up Wrench for his new job, so to say he wasn't best pleased that Ripcon insisted he come to Earth to show off his new warrior was more than a little bit of an understatement.

On the Warrior Dome, everything was set exactly to his liking. The temperature was always exactly what he was comfortable with, the lighting was always exactly the level he liked it. There was never a place on the ship where he couldn't get a hold of a servant within seconds to fulfil any and every request he could ever think to make, and fully expect it to be carried out within minutes. He didn't leave the ship for much, and when he did, he had to be sure it was worth his time.

He found himself in a tunnel that ran deep beneath the city. It was dark, it smelled musty and damp, and he was far from amused when he stepped in something, soaking his boots in foulness he didn't even want to begin to think of.

"This better be good Ripcon." Cosmo warned him as he followed the monster into the tunnels.

"Believe me, it is." Ripcon assured him. "I was in the gym recently when I saw this guy. He has some of the strongest..."

"Ripcon, I've heard all this before." Cosmo said impatiently. "I want to see something..."

Just then, the whole tunnel shook, and Cosmo fell to his knees, soaking his outfit in the foulness that was pooling up around him. He glared up to Ripcon.

"What was that?" He screamed.

"That would be my latest discovery." Ripcon said with pride as he held up a lamp, lighting up the tunnel ahead. "Meet, Stonedozer!"

Cosmo got to his feet as he saw the creature before him. It was a huge, ugly creature that looked like it was made completely from rock, with the exception of a couple of large scoops which replaced his hands. It definitely looked powerful...even if he wasn't sure it had the kind of face anyone would want to put on a poster. The creature came over, standing before Cosmo.

"Another bruiser Ripcon?" He asked.

"Stonedozer has some of the strongest attacks I've ever seen. His scoops can take apart rock like crepe paper!" He bragged. "But since you like 'sneaky' things so much, I got to thinking. What can we do with a monster that can tear up rock that will cause untold devastation?"

Comso just shrugged. Ripcon just smiled.

"This is California, home to some of the most active fault lines on the face of the Earth." Ripcon told him. "With a few well-placed swings, Stonedozer can turn the whole city into a weapon! He could bring everything crashing down on the Ranger's heads!"

"That...that is surprisingly clever Ripcon." Cosmo said in a half-compliment as he considered this plan. "Stonedozer isn't it?"

"Yes sir." Stonedozer answered.

"Come with me, I want to discuss a few things with you." Cosmo stated. "Somewhere a little more...suitable."

"Hey! That's MY warrior!" Ripcon screamed.

"Oh, don't worry; you'll get your finders' fee." Cosmo answered as he put his arm around Stonedozer. "Now, let's get out of here, we don't want to tip our had too early. No point risking the Rangers figuring out my plan until we're ready to broadcast."

"YOUR plan?" Ripcon shrieked as they disappeared in a flash of light. He had seen his position on the ship diminishing lately. He already knew that Madame Odious was spreading dissent, trying to throw doubts on Ripcon's loyalty and suggesting he was the traitor who let the Gold Ranger onto the ship. Cosmo had never respected him as anything other than a fighter, and regularly mocked his picks for the contests. Now, it looked like he had so little respect for Ripcon he was blatantly poaching his promising picks right in front of him.

Ripcon's fists tightened in anger as he hit the teleport function to return to the Warrior Dome. The day would come when those that laughed at him would be laughing on the other side of their faces. He would make sure of that.

At the school, the Rangers had once again opted to take lunch in the Ranger Base to get some peace and quiet. It did make things a little more crowded and make working on anything a little more difficult for Mick and Redbot, but given all the demands on their time, between commitments at home, their school work and, of course, their Ranger duties, it was sometimes good for the team to have somewhere they could go where no one would look for them and they could just relax and unwind for a little while.

Brody and Calvin were busy sparring, while Preston and Hayley were working on one of Preston's new tricks. Preston had been trying to figure out a trick that involved his rabbit, Aloha Mora, but most of the tricks involving rabbits relied on the fact that their natural instinct in most scenarios was to remain still. Doves shared a similar instinct which was why magicians tended to use rabbits and doves in their tricks since they were simple to work with. Unfortunately that made it a little more difficult of the magician wanted to do a trick that required them to actually do anything. Of course most magicians didn't have the trump card of a friend that could actually talk to animals to explain what they wanted them to do.

Sarah, meanwhile, was at the computer, working on something. Mick noticed that she was very quiet for her. He smirked as he came over, nudging her gently.

"Working on your business studies project?" He asked her. "I know a lot of kids are looking at internet start-ups."

"Hmm? Oh...um...no." She said a little nervously. Mick took a look at the screen, seeing that it was a Google search on the screen. He was wondering if she was checking up any more details on Levi. Everyone had seen how she was reacting to the thought of being on a team with him. However, he noticed it was a different name that was on the screen.

"Sergeant Vernon Vincent?" He asked. "Who's he?"

"Oh...it's just...a name I heard." She said, trying to dismiss it. Mick scratched his head.

"I'm still getting my head around how this whole surname thing works." Mick mused as he considered the name. He had been given the surname 'Kanik' on his false documentation when Kendall had created an identity for his teaching credentials, but in reality he didn't have a surname. It wasn't the way in his home in the Lion Galaxy. However, he was spending some of his free time trying to figure out the cultural mores of Earth so that he wouldn't stand out quite so much whenever he went out and one of the Rangers wasn't around to help bail him out if he didn't understand something. "Vincent, isn't that Victor's surname? Does that mean this guy's related to Victor?"

"He's Victor's dad." Sarah answered. She still felt badly about bringing the subject up with Victor given how much it seemed to upset him. However, that hadn't quelled her curiosity any. "I heard his name today."

"Why would you be interested in Victor's dad?" Mick asked her. "He had a purple heart? I thought humans only had red hearts."

"A Purple Heart is a medal awarded for wounds suffered in battle." Sarah told him.

"Oh...right." Mick said, looking confused. He just shrugged, before heading back to his work. Sarah read up the reports on the sergeant, which made for pretty grim reading.

"I'm sorry Victor." She whispered. Victor's dad had been deployed when Victor was only a kid. He had been killed in action before Victor was even in middle school. Since then, Victor seemed to have gone out of his way to win award after award. There were trophies dating back to only a few months after his dad had died in everything from spelling bees to athletics. In many of the pictures of little Victor standing on many podiums, when she looked closely, she could see him wearing the dog tags.

She was about to log off though, when another article caught her notice. This one wasn't about Victor though, this one seemed to relate instead to Monty, but it dated back to when they both had to have been in middle school. This one was only flagged because Victor's name was in the article, but the article was about Monty. The title was something of a surprise in and of itself.

"Local student Montgomery Williams involved in...school bombing?" She gasped, clicking the link to the article. "Holy SHIT!"

Up on the Warrior Dome, Cosmo returned to his office after a long day. He had already spent some time discussing the details of the week's show with Stonedozer. It was a surprisingly clever plan on Ripcon's part to utilise the natural weakness in the area, its fault lines, in order to turn the city itself into a weapon. The Rangers would have a hard enough time facing a monster like Stonedozer, but when they also had to worry about the whole city falling down on their heads at the same time, he imagined they would find it virtually impossible to win.

He could see it now, the carnage, the drama, people screaming, random acts of heroism, people clawing and clambering all over each other to escape...it would be ratings GOLD! Sure, it would mean afterwards they might have to dig the Power Stars out of what was left of Summer Cove, but that was something for the kudabots to worry about. For him, all he had to worry about was watching his viewing figures balloon.

He heard a rustling behind him as he got to his desk. He thought nothing of it, but as he picked up a bottle to pour himself a brandy, he caught a glint of a reflection and threw himself aside just as a dagger flew past, barely missing him and lodging into the wall. He threw turned around, finding a black, shadowy figure behind him, a row of throwing daggers adorning his belt, and another in his hand.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Cosmo asked him. The monster didn't answer though. Three more just like him emerged from the shadows. One of them produced a long, curved sword, another a double-ended spear. The last produced a chain, before a heavy metal ball fell to the floor, clanging as it landed. Cosmo just looked to the new arrivals.

"Now, I appreciate the showmanship, but if you want on the show you might want to consider a gimmick that's a little more...colourful." Cosmo suggested. "Perhaps some brighter colours...like some reds or some blues..."

He ducked out the way as the one with the ball and chain swung his weapon for him, the weapon smashing his desk into firewood. Cosmo just looked to his ruined desk, before his face turned into a mask of rage. He tossed his top-hat aside, before shrugging off his long coat onto the floor.

"I really liked that desk!" Cosmo told them as he reached for his cane. He twisted the top, before pulling out a cane-sword and rushing towards them.

Outside the office, Wrench was just coming to discuss something with Cosmo when he heard a crash from inside. He tried to open the door, but found it was locked.

"Cosmo?" He called out. "COSMO!"

He struggled but couldn't get the door open. He grabbed his axe, powering it up, before swinging it, smashing in the door. By the time he got inside, he found Cosmo standing in the middle of the room, catching his breath. Four dark figures lay on the ground, their warm blood draining out onto the floor, still as the grave. Cosmo replaced his sword into its housing in his cane.

"Cosmo, what...what happened here?" Wrench asked, looking around. "Are you alright?"

"It was nothing I couldn't handle." Cosmo said, grabbing his top hat and twirling it onto his head. "Call some slaves; I want this mess cleaned up!"

"But Cosmo..."

"Someone tried to assassinate me in my OWN OFFICE!" Cosmo snapped at him. "If people around here think I got where I did by signing checks and making calls, they are going to find out they are VERY much mistaken! Now, get this cleaned up! I expect my office to be back exactly as it was within the hour!" Cosmo told him. "This is MY show, and if someone wants to take it from me, they are going to have to do much better than that!"

As he left, Wrench looked around the scene of devastation in Cosmo's office. He activated his communicator.

"Housekeeping to Cosmo's office." He stated. "Deep clean required."

 **A/N:** Well, there's a couple of cliffhangers to tide you over into the new year. I wanted to get one last chapter out before the end of the year (in my time zone at least) so that I could wish all my readers a Happy New Year, and promise to pick up again in 2018. There's still plenty more to come from the Ninja Steel crew, don't worry about that! Happy New Year, and here's wishing you all the joy and happiness a fandom can bring.


	12. Gold Priorities

The rest of the week was not as exciting for Sarah as many would expect. While there was a lot of excitement about the Levi Weston gig, and it was virtually all anyone could talk about to the point that many teachers in the school stopped even bothering trying to stop kids talking about it or even breaking out into random off-key renditions of his greatest hits in the middle of classrooms.

For a girl who had once quite literally passed out in his arms though, Sarah wasn't terribly pre-occupied with Levi. In fact she wasn't thinking about him much at all, most of the week, she was trying to avoid Victor and Monty.

She still felt badly about how Victor reacted to her asking about his dad. While she had since looked it up online and had found out how his father had died while stationed in Basra when Victor was only a kid, and it seemed he had been something of a hero, being awarded the Silver Star for his efforts, Victor had been a child when he died, leaving him with only a memory, an image of a father for all those years.

The fact that he had died a hero was obviously a source of pride for Victor, going by his habit of keeping his dad's dog tags and wearing them while he was winning his many accomplishments, but she also doubted that was of little comfort to him given how he reacted when she asked about him. She didn't even want to think of losing either of her parents.

Then there was Monty, a kid she wasn't sure she could ever look at the same way again. She had known that something had gone down in the past, something that had forged the friendship between Monty and Victor that she could never understand when she first met them.

She knew that Victor had helped him out in the past some time, and it was something that Monty was still grateful for to this day, but in researching to find out about Victor's dad, she had stumbled across an article relating to a bombing in the middle school Victor and Monty had both gone to a few years ago. Monty had always been her chief rival in science at school. She had no problem believing he was CAPABLE of making such devices, hell, creating explosives was startlingly simple if someone was willing to do a little research. With the knowledge someone could gain from the average Grade School library, it was more than possible to cause one hell of a bang. She just couldn't fathom what would drive him to do it.

She had caused her fair share of explosions in her time, including destroying at least one family car, but they had all been accidents. That the article had described his device as a bomb implied that the resulting explosion was his intent. Casting a few glances his way, looking at the scrawny kid with the bow tie and the glasses, it was hard to imagine he had once created a lethal explosive. Monty let out his usual, grunting laugh as Victor said something to him. It boggled her mind, here Monty looked about as harmless as a damp sponge.

"Hmm?" That was the most eloquent response she could come up with as she realised the others were staring at her. Obviously someone had asked her a direct question and they had not gotten an answer.

"Pizza or tacos?" Preston asked her. "We know we don't have to wait in line for the concert, so we were just trying to decide where to go before hand."

"I still say it's a bit of a shame we aren't going to have to queue." Hayley said, drawing Calvin into herself. "Half the fun of a concert is camping out the night before. You know, a few snacks, some hot drinks, all snuggled up in sleeping bags…"

"SEPARATE sleeping bags?" Brody asked, raising an eyebrow.

Calvin just tossed a dinner roll at Brody, who was more than capable of dodging it. Before he could say anything else though, the whole school shook. They all looked around each other.

"Wow, the fault lines are pretty restless." Hayley commented.

"I know, that's the fourth tremor this week." Preston agreed with a little nod. "It's been years since we've seen this many so close together."

"I'm getting quite enough excitement from up above without having to worry about down below trying to get us too thank you very much." Calvin grumbled. Despite the tremor, everyone was relatively calm. Some kids had to gather their things that had fallen out of bags and off tables, but being built to code in California meant the school was petty robust, and the kids were more than a little hardened to it all. Most of them would say that anything less than a 4 on the Richter Scale wouldn't even wake them up. Sarah was a little less used to it, but thanks to her time in Amber Beach she was a little more used to earthquakes now. "Anyone heard from Levi?"

"Nothing other than what every kid hears on the TV." Brody said, somewhat disapprovingly. They all knew the run up to his concert was a busy time for Levi, but he did think he'd make a little bit more of an effort to meet with the team to train and to prepare for any attacks. "He's being interviewed by the local news this afternoon."

"I'm sure once the concert's over he'll be around more." Sarah said defencively.

"Oh, and I wonder why you're defending him." Hayley teased her.

"Come on guys, are we doing this again?" Sarah asked wearily. The bell rang, signalling it was time to start the afternoon classes. "Now that is good timing! I'm off to Shop Class."

"You do know we ALL take Shop Class right?" Preston sniggered.

"Oh come on guys, I only fainted ONCE!" She protested.

"Twice, technically." Calvin reminded her as they headed for class.

The following day, Cosmo was getting ready in his office for the next show. He hadn't been seriously harmed in the attempt on his life, he had seen a few in his time, but he never wanted anyone to get even the hint of any weakness from him. To even appear with minor injuries would give whoever had paid off the would-be assassins the idea that their efforts could actually achieve something. No, it was better for anyone who didn't know about the assassination attempt to remain in the dark, and for the mastermind behind it to know only that it had failed.

He was getting make-up done by a kudabot to conceal some of his wounds. Normally he'd get an intern to do it, but kudabots had the added advantage of being able to have their memories wiped once he was finished, so no reports of his injuries would leak beyond the office. Wrench came in, just as the kudabot was finishing off.

"Well Wrench? What news do you have for me?" He asked.

"Those assassins, they're professionals. All I could ascertain was where they're from, but since it's a professional agency there's no way to know who hired them." Wrench told him regretfully. "Maybe if one of them were alive to question…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, next time I'll pull my punches next time someone sends deadly assassins after me." Cosmo interrupted him glibly. Wrench didn't have an answer for that, but Cosmo started laughing. "My boy, I didn't expect to find anything, even if one of them was alive. I meant that OTHER job I sent you on!"

"Oh…um…that's more bad news I'm afraid." Wrench told him. "We…still can't find him."

"You can't find him?" Cosmo shrieked in anger. "The show starts in minutes and you're telling me we don't even have our monster?"

"We gave Ripcon the order to bring him back, but no one's seen him!" Wrench protested. Cosmo just sighed.

"Fine, fine, we'll have to do what we can with a video package." He responded. "But you make sure Ripcon knows that if Stonedozer doesn't show up on camera, he'll have more to worry about than his finders' fee!"

Cosmo left the office and headed for the stage, pulling on his long coat and spinning his top hat onto his head as he went, while Wrench went the other way, aiming to hurriedly put together some kind of introduction for Stonedozer from archive footage. Cosmo strode out onto the stage to rapturous applause as he did his signature dance for his audience.

"Who do you love?" He called out.

"COSMO!" They all called out in response. Cosmo made his way to the middle of the stage as the wind-up act quickly left to give him his spotlight. He started to search his mind for the best way to sell this to the crowd.

"Um…I'm really sorry about this, but we can't seem to find this week's monster anywhere." Cosmo told the audience as Wrench signalled to him to play for time while he made up the highlight reel. "I guess he's so eager to get at the Rangers, he wasn't even willing to wait for his introduction!"

The audience laughed as he said this. SO far, so good, he had covered for the absence of his warrior. Now, all he had to do was win the audience over on why they should care about a monster who couldn't even be bothered turning up for them.

As he was about to continue though, the studio started to shake, and everyone had to grab onto their seats to keep from being thrown around. Cosmo struggled to stay on his feet as the floor started to rise up, before bursting open. Stonedozer broke through the stage, appearing before the audience, who seemed to be enthralled by the destruction. Cosmo looked to the damage and just shrugged. He could always take it out of Stonedozer's fight purse if he won, and if he lost, that just added to Ripcon's tab.

"I am STONEDOZER!" The monster introduced himself in a booming voice, clanging together his scoop hands. "I've been spending days tapping into Summer Cove's fault lines. I'll bring the house down, right on top of the Rangers' heads!"

"Well, you can't fault enthusiasm like that! Which is why we're giving you a special treat. Straight from our laboratory, prepare yourself for the Warrior Dome debut of…the BASHER BOTS!"

Stonedozer watched as a dozen of the new droids ran out onto the stage, lining up behind him. Cosmo just smiled as he hit the teleport command.

"Now go Stonedozer, go and show the Rangers what it means to really ROCK!" Cosmo said, before sending out his Buzz-cams to pick up the fight. "Glory awaits you, go and take it!"

Down on Earth, the Rangers were being escorted into the arena while Levi was talking over something with Tom. The conversation between the two of them looked a little more animated than usual for them.

"Tom, what do you mean you couldn't find them?" Levi asked him. "They went to the same hospital you did!"

"Yeah, and then they checked out before I could get there with the backstage passes!" Tom explained. "We've been trying for days to find them, but…"

"Look…never mind. We'll just have to go ahead without them." Levi sighed, shaking his head. "Man, I really wanted to reward those two for what they did at the signing. Oh well, can you at least find the kid and make sure she's being taken care of?"

"She's down at the merchandise stall as we speak, picking out her free gifts." Tom answered with a smile. "I'll go and get her."

As he left, Levi turned to see the Rangers arriving by another door. They all came over to greet him fondly.

"Levi, you have been a hard man to get a hold of!" Brody said, his tone almost as much of a rebuke as it was a joke. Levi just shrugged as he shook hands and doled out hugs to the others.

"Yeah, I know, I'm real sorry about that." Levi replied. "Tom's had me doing three, four appearances a day all week. I swear, I almost forget what the inside of my hotel room looks like."

"At least you're getting to see a bit of the city then." Hayley said, looking on the bright side.

"Yeah, the inside of TV studios and radio stations, and they're always SUCH interesting places to be." He remarked. The others just stared blankly at him.

"Uh…yeah…I was just saying that." Preston joked. "I mean, once you've seen one TV studio you've seen them all right?"

"Trust me, it isn't always that glamorous. The last interview I did last night was for a student radio station at the local college…I swear it stank so much of weed by the time I left I was feeling light-headed!"

"Well, just as long as you're on top form for your fans." Sarah replied, popping him on the shoulder. "Just think, 20,000 fans all here to see you!"

"Yeah, we're sold out. It's a long way from a barn that holds a couple of dozen." Levi answered cheerfully. "It should be a great show."

"The audience certainly seem pumped for it." Brody answered. "I heard some people queued out all night!"

"Yeah, that happens. I usually have people pass out water and stuff just to make sure no one faints." Levi stated. Sarah rolled her eyes and crossed her arms defiantly. "Don't worry, that's the only one I promise you."

"It really does look like you're going all out." Brody commented. "I'd say this concert's going to be epic."

"Yeah, well it's Tom that sorts out most of the logistical stuff. We've been working so hard on this world tour, it should be great." Levi continued. The Rangers all looked to Brody who just sort of blinked hearing this. There were a few exchanged glances before Hayley spoke up.

"World tour?" She asked. "H…how long are you going to be gone?"

"Oh, only three months." Levi answered. "I figured if I left my Zord that should help you guys out, and hey, if you really need help, it shouldn't take me too long to get back."

The Rangers didn't answer straight away, none of them really knew what to say to this. Levi had only just come onto the team, they were all expecting to have an extra pair of hands and a little more firepower from now on, and now he was planning to leave? Before any of them could answer though, a cry split the air.

"LEVI!" A little girl, the winner of the backstage pass called out.

"Your biggest fan just came to say hi." Tom told him. Levi went to go and greet the girl, leaving the Rangers more than a little conflicted on how to feel about this turn of events.

"Three months?" Brody asked. "Did any of you know he was going on tour for three months?"

The four of them kind of shuffled a little uneasily. They had all been Levi Weston fans, and all of them knew, as did everyone with an internet connection that had even HEARD of Levi Weston, that he was going on a world tour. He was planning on visiting dozens of cities all over the world in a tour that would be practically non-stop for three straight months. Eventually Sarah managed to say something.

"Well…it…was on all his websites." She said, shuffling a little as she tried to find a way to express her thoughts. "But…when we learned he was a Ranger, I always just…kind of assumed he'd cancel it or re-schedule or something."

"We just got the Gold Power Star, we just got our Gold Ranger…and now he's leaving for three months?" Preston asked. That's…that's a little messed up!"

"So what are we going to do?" Calvin asked. Brody was clearly not happy about this, but he just looked to them and shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess it's not like we can FORCE him to stay or anything." Brody commented. "I guess we'll just have to do the best we can for three months."

Just then, the whole arena shook. They all struggled to stay on their feet, while a scream from a little way off alerted them to Levi, who was holding onto the girl that won his fan contest. Brody looked to the others.

"OK, this week has been weird, but even for California, this isn't natural!" He put down flatly. "That's the fourth earthquake TODAY!"

"Mick, this is Sarah, can you read me, over?" The Pink Ranger said into her Ninja-comm. Mick appeared on the screen.

"If you're calling about the earthquakes, I am way ahead of you." Mick told them. "They're all focused on an area of mountains not far from the arena."

"We should check it out." Sarah responded. They all headed over to where Levi was on one knee, talking to the girl, who looked a little shaken, but none the worse for wear.

"Levi, can we talk to you for a second?" Brody asked.

"What is it?" Levi asked him.

"We need to check out something about these earthquakes." Brody told him, tapping his Ninja-comm to communicate with Levi that this was Ranger business. Levi nodded, but looked between the Rangers and the girl.

"Can…uh…you guys handle it?" He asked. "My concert's about to start."

The team was not at all prepared for that answer. None of them could say anything, and instead only stared at Brody. None of them could imagine what his reaction would be if one of them told him 'sorry, not right now' when they were called to Ranger duties. Brody didn't look angry though, instead he just looked disappointed.

"Well…if you have to I guess." Brody replied. "We'll be back as soon as we can."

With that, they all ran off. Levi turned his attention back to the girl and smiled.

"Now that smile is the kind of thing I like to see. You are one brave buckaroo if you want to stick around after that Mary." Levi complimented her.

"It weren't nothin'." Mary answered, mimicking his accent. "If you can ride a bull a little old earthquake should be nothin'."

"I thought that radio interview would be on too late for someone like you to still be listening." Levi laughed as he recognised his own words. He pulled out a device that looked a lot like a cheeseburger. "Want to take a selfie?"

"Cool camera." She replied, coming beside him as Levi held her close.

"Does my biggest fan know my favourite food?" He asked her. "1, 2, 3…"

"Cheeseburger!" They chorused together as he pressed the button, taking their picture.


	13. Covert Entry

Silently they approached, taking full advantage of the terrain. There was a lot going on, and they were on a truncated timetable. They didn't have long before the concert, and if their mission wasn't complete before it started...that didn't bear thinking about.

Crushing disappointment was a common feeling, they wished things could be different, that they could just go to the concert like seemingly everyone else in town, but once again circumstances had stood in the way. Now, they had serious obstacles standing in the way of what they wanted, vigilant, steadfast guards that would give no quarter in stopping them on their mission.

A guard looked over as one of the nearby crates started rocking, but as it fell silent a second later, just went back to position. He breathed a sigh of relief as he realised he had almost blown their cover.

"That was a close one Monty." Victor breathed a sigh of relief as he looked to his comrade. He and Monty had been heroes the day of the attack at Levi's signing, and they had received a lot of adulation all week from the rest of the students, and even a few teachers. However, it did leave them in a very unfortunate position. When the tickets went on sale online, Victor had been in the hospital and Monty had been with him, waiting by his bedside, meaning that by the time Victor was able to leave, the concert had sold out. They had been unable to get their hands on the tickets they so desperately wanted. The price of their heroism it seemed was missing out on the concert they had protected.

Victor cast a look around the corner of the crate, seeing a couple of guards waiting by the back entrance, before pulling back into cover. He looked to Monty and smiled.

"They have the entrances covered, but I have a secret weapon." Victor told him, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a book. He gestured to the title on the cover. "Secret ninja, the art of covert entry and invisibility."

"This book is going to get us in?" Monty asked him.

"I was inspired by the Rangers." Victor told him, opening the book to a passage. "It says here that the ancient ninja were masters of covert entry. They could slip in and out of even the most heavily guarded palaces without being seen until the moment they strike! It says that one Grandmaster actually sat drinking tea with the Shogun and he was none the wiser!"

"You're a genius Victor!" Monty gushed.

"I'll never get tired of hearing you say that Monty." Victor answered with a grin.

"You're a genius..."

"Quiet!" Victor rushed out. "Alright, we've got this far, but if we're going to get past those guards, we have to be smart. Now, in the book it suggests..."

He started leafing through the book.

"Path of least resistance, find an entrance that isn't guarded." He stated. Monty looked around the corner and came back, shrugging.

"They all look pretty well guarded to me." He remarked.

"Alright, stage two; don't enter covertly if you don't have to. Guards are human and the weakest point of any security system. Bribery often works."

He looked to Monty, who just pulled out his pockets, showing they were empty. He opened his wallet, which was similarly unimpressive. All he had was a library card, a pizza coupon and ten dollars.

"Unless they like pizza, I've got nothing." Monty told him. Victor sucked his teeth.

"Yeah, allowance day isn't until next week. I'm broke too." Victor commented. He read through a little further. "Failing bribery, threats can work. Often guards could be coerced or blackmailed into allowing entry."

Monty looked to the guards and then back to Victor.

"Um...there are a lot of them, and...they look pretty big." Monty commented. "You might be alright with one of them, but in a fight, I'm about as intimidating as a damp paper towel."

"Hmm...you have a point there." Victor stated. "Disguise! It suggests disguise! The ninja would often use disguises to get into secure areas."

"What about the trash?" Monty suggested. "Why have a backstage pass when you can be backstage trash?"

"Sounds a little stinky." Victor answered. "Maybe if we can get security uniforms..."

"Hey guys!" They heard someone call out. They looked around to see the three guards at the door turning. One of their comrades came out, carrying a bag of green leaves. "Refreshment break!"

"Aw man, awesome!" One of them called out as they all went inside, leaving the door completely unguarded! Monty and Victor both blinked, then looked to each other.

"Does the book say anything about...?"

"Never looking a gift-horse in the mouth?" Victor asked. "Absolutely!"

With that, they ran into the building, checking around quickly to see that they weren't seen. Victor breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright, we're in, that's stage one." He stated. "Now, stage two, we need to find Levi and..."

"Hey! You two!" They heard someone call out. They both turned to see Tom down the hall, waving in their direction, before breaking into a run.

"Um...Victor? What does the book say about...?"

"RUN MONTY!" Victor called out as they ran away. Tom was moving as quickly as he could, but was still limping as a result of his torture at Ripcon's hands. He paused for a second.

"Guys, you don't understand!" Tom called out, waving their backstage passes. They had left the hospital before Tom and his crew could find them, and so he hadn't been able to track them down to let them know that they had been rewarded backstage passes for their part in the rescue. "Come back!"

Meanwhile, on the cliffs overlooking the concert, only a short way from the stadium, the Rangers were making their way towards the focus point of all the earthquakes. While earthquakes were relatively common in California, occurring at least once every three months, the fact that there had been more than a dozen in a week, and in particular four already that day alone all coming from the same area was far from natural. The team had gone to investigate quietly. As they came up behind a boulder, Preston pointed in the direction of the stadium.

"Levi's concert is happening right over there." He commented.

"And it's about to start in less than an hour!" Hayley complained.

"Then let's finish this up so we can get back there." Calvin suggested.

"Hayley, see if you can get some recon from the locals." Brody said, pointing to a nearby mole. Hayley called out, waving it over. The mole looked a little surprised to see a human that could actually speak to it, but bounded over, at which Hayley picked it up, petting it and squeaking with it for a moment.

"You know, I will never stop finding that cute." Calvin said with a smile, getting one in return from Hayley. She put the mole down and looked to the others.

"She said there have been some weird things digging up the area just around that ridge." She told them. "She said something about things that smelled like machines, something that smelled like bacon and something that was like a moving rock face."

The others just stared at her for a moment. Hayley just shrugged.

"Moles have bad eyesight! They go more on smell than anything else!" She reminded them.

"Bacon...that could be Ripcon." Brody answered. "The machines are probably kudabots. The rock face...I guess that'll be the monster."

"She said just around this ridge." Preston said, making his move to scout ahead. As they got there, they found what looked suspiciously like the entrance to a mine. However, unlike the many sealed mines in California that were left as a reminder of the Gold Rush, this one seemed to have been erected recently. They could see bright blue and black robots taking out carts of rocks and dumping them on the ground, while others stood watch.

"Why would they be moving dirt?" Preston asked.

"The fault is in this area, what if they're digging right into the fault to try and trigger it?" Sarah asked. "They could set off an earthquake that could level the whole city!"

"They're trying to set off an earthquake from INSIDE the tunnel?" Calvin asked. "That'd be suicide!"

"Robots don't have much of a sense of self-preservation." Brody reminded them.

"Is it just me, or do they look different?" Hayley asked.

"Whatever, a kudabot's a kudabot." Brody answered, pulling up his mask. He made a few gestures indicating where they should approach from. "Preston, Calvin, Hayley, keep watch. Sarah and I will check out the tunnel.

They all headed off on their approach routes, each getting as close as possible to their selected guards. Preston was the first to make his move, dropping down on top of a guard. However, instead of taking it down, which is what normally happened, the Basher bot remained on its feet, with Preston on its shoulders. It turned its head completely around to stare at him.

"Uh...guys...we may have a problem here!" Preston said, just as Hayley and Calvin flew through the air, crashing through piles of rocks that were piled up near the cave entrance.

"OK, they are NOT normal kudabots!" Calvin complained as he got up. Soon, they were surrounded by the new, stronger robots. "What do we do?"

"I guess since they already know we're here..." Preston said, pulling out his morpher. Calvin and Hayley did the same. They watched as Brody and Sarah slipped inside. "...we act as a distraction."

"Ninja SPIN!" They called out together, morphing into action.

Back at the arena, Levi was showing Mary and her parents around, chatting with them about the concert, and everything that went into it. Mary had already told him she was interested in music, and so he wanted to let her see exactly what went into a concert.

"So over there's Chuck, he does all sorts of really complicated things with computers that I'm not smart enough to understand." Levi told her. "He's the one that sets up the sound equipment just right to make sure my music sounds the best it can for each venue. The different shape and size of a room can really affect it, so he makes sure that all sorts of reverb and all sorts of other technical words that I forget don't mess up my sound."

"Wow, all these people work for you?" She asked him. "I thought...I thought it was just a case of people wanting to be around you and getting paid to do nothing."

"Believe me, that isn't the case at all." Levi chuckled. "There's a lot more to go into it than just picking up a guitar and singing. Trust me; you do NOT want to see what I look like in the morning before Clarissa works her magic with my make-up."

"When I grow up, I want to be a singer, just like you!" Mary declared. Levi just smiled.

"Well, if you work hard at it, there's no reason it can't happen." Levi told her. "Just remember, there are a whole bunch of other people involved and they are a lot smarter than I am."

"LEVI!" Tom called out as he came limping up, a little out of breath. Levi looked to Tom, a little surprised.

"Tom, what's going on?" He asked. "Is everything alright? The concert's about to..."

"Levi, did you see a couple of guys run past here?" Tom asked him. Levi just shrugged and shook his head.

"We just got here." He told him.

"Levi was just telling me about acoustics." Mary said proudly. She looked around as she seemed to notice something in the distance, before heading off in the direction of some sound equipment.

"They were sneaking in." Tom told him. Levi just sighed.

"It wouldn't be the first time that's happened." Levi joked. "I'm sure the guys can handle it."

"You don't understand, I recognise them, it was those guys from the signing." Tom told him. "Victor and Monty? The guys you wanted to give these to?"

He held up the passes. Levi suddenly realised what he meant.

"Right, those guys!" He said. "They're here?"

"Levi?" Mary called out.

"In a minute Mary." Levi told her. "Let security know, when they find them I don't want them thrown out, I want them held so I can..."

"LEVI!" She called out again.

"What is it Mary?" He asked. Mary just pointed to a speaker that seemed to be moving a little. Levi and Tom just looked to each other, before approaching. They stood either side of the speaker, before crouching down. The movement stopped, but Levi could definitely hear breathing inside.

"I think..." Mary started to whisper, before they heard a sneeze coming from another speaker on the other side of the corridor. Mary started sniggering, but Levi put a hand across her mouth to stop her, and put a finger to his lips to indicate to Tom to be quiet.

"Say Tom, what are these still doing here?" He asked. "I thought all the speakers were on the stage already."

"These speakers?" Tom asked. Levi glared at him, at which Tom nodded in understanding. He didn't always understand how he thought, but he could always tell when Levi had an idea. "Oh, THESE speakers!"

"Yeah, why don't you have the guys take them up?" Levi asked.

"You heard the man!" Tom said, clicking his fingers, at which a couple of runners came with trolleys, beginning to load up the speakers and wheel them to the stage. Tom just shook his head as they were taken away.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing Levi." Tom stated.

"Trust me Tom." Levi said with a smile. "This is going to be a night those two will NEVER forget."

Back at the site of the battle, Hayley, Calvin and Preston were doing their best against the Basher bots. They were definitely a lot tougher than the kudabots they were used to, and definitely took a lot longer to go down and stay down. They hadn't been prepared for so much resistance, but now that they had upped their game, they were beginning to make headway.

"These new bots are tough!" Preston commented as he took down a couple with a burst of blue flame from his hand.

"Yeah, but we're tougher!" Hayley answered, wrecking one with her sword, while blasting another to pieces with the whiplash attack from her Ninja Blaster.

"That's the last of them!" Calvin said as he sliced one in half across the waist. "Alright, let's keep watch, Brody and Sarah could really do without any unexpected visitors."

"Whatever they're doing, I hope they finish soon, the concert's about to start." Preston muttered. Hayley just sighed as she sat on a rock.

"Preston, I think it's time we faced facts...Cinderella ain't going to the ball this time." Hayley said dejectedly. "The concert's starting in a couple of minutes, even if Brody and Sarah came back right now, by the time we even get there the doors will be locked."

"Aw man, that sucks!" Preston whined.

"Still, it's what we signed up for." Calvin said as he sat with Hayley, putting his arm around her. "There'll be other concerts."

"Maybe someone should tell that to the new guy." Preston muttered.

Down in the cave, Sarah and Brody headed deeper into the cave. There were a lot of Basher bots down here, and it looked like they were all working, digging away at the rock face. They had seen how tough they were briefly up top, and so were careful to keep out of sight. They stopped behind a stalagmite as they saw a large creature, seemingly made of rock, with large scoops for hands.

"How much do you want to bet he's the one responsible for the earthquakes?" Brody asked Sarah in a whisper. Sarah checked the locator on her Ninja-comm.

"According to this, we're almost right under the arena." She told him.

"Faster, faster!" Stonedozer called out. "Soon, I'll be able to trigger an even BIGGER earthquake!"

"Another earthquake?" Brody asked.

"They've undermined the whole concert hall!" Sarah yelped as she did the math quickly in her head. "If they trigger that earthquake, they'll bring down the whole arena. There are over 20,000 people inside!"

"Levi has to stop that concert!" Brody said, getting onto his Ninja-comm. "Levi, come in Levi!"

Meanwhile, back at the concert hall, the final preparations had already been made. The warm-up act, the Rebel Rockers, were just finishing up their set, and everyone was getting settled in for the main event.

Levi took his Ninja-comm off, leaving it on a crate as he was handed his guitar, heading up the stairs. They were passing the Rebel Rockers, who were on their way down.

"Hey man, great set!" Levi said as he high-fived a few of them. "Terry isn't it?"

"No, I'm Terry." Another once called out. "That's Antonio."

"Right...sorry, my head's all over the place." Levi answered. "You guys did a great job, the crowd sounds really hot!"

"They're definitely a great crowd!" Antonio answered.

"Say, you guys want to come party with us afterwards?" Levi asked.

"Sorry, I've got to get back to Panorama." Antonio answered.

"And I need to get back to the hospital." Terry added. "Dr Watanabe has rounds early tomorrow."

"Well hey; we'll look you up next time we're in the area." Levi assured them.

"For sure!" Antonio answered as Levi went up to the stage. As he and the rest of the band headed down though, Terry heard a bleeping. Both he and Antonio went for their phones, but could see that it wasn't either of them.

"Old habits die hard eh?" Antonio asked.

"You said it!" Terry laughed. "Come on, Serena's waiting!"

With that, they left, unaware of the imminent danger as the Ninja-comm bleeped away, unanswered.


	14. Bringing Down The House

Brody was in the cave, desperately trying to reach Levi to warn him about the concert. After checking out the cave, they had found out that Stonedozer was close to the fault, and more importantly had undermined the arena. If he kept digging, it would not be long before he caused the whole place to collapse with everyone inside! Over 20,000 people were attending the concert, and Stonedozer couldn't care less about the fact almost every single one of them would probably lose their lives as long as he got the Power Stars once the dust settled.

"Levi, come in!" Brody said a little more forcefully. "Levi, are you there? Damn it, why isn't he answering?"

"The concert's probably started." Sarah told him. "Maybe he can't hear his Ninja-comm."

"He has to stop that concert." Brody told her.

"Either that or we have to stop Stonedozer from digging." Sarah pitched in. Brody just nodded.

"OK, but how?" Brody asked her. She stood up and started waving.

"Hey ugly! Looking for Power Stars?" Sarah yelled, causing Stonedozer to turn around. "Well you can't be too good at looking because there are two right here!"

"Uh...Sarah, this is a REALLY bad idea!" Brody added as he got up.

"Two people instead of 20,000 the math makes sense to me." Sarah answered.

"RANGERS!" He roared. "You've dug yourselves quite a hole!"

"Digging jokes? Really?" Sarah asked sarcastically.

"He...kind of has a point." Brody said as the Basher bots all started to abandon their picks and pick up swords to begin advancing on the Rangers.

"Once I crush you, your Power Stars will be mine!" He growled.

"So...this plan of yours." Brody stated. "What do we do now?"

"Um...hadn't thought that far ahead." Sarah admitted, tossing a smoke bomb. "RUN!"

With that, they fled the cave with the Basher bots in hot pursuit. Stonedozer was about to follow, but Ripcon appeared and stopped him.

"No, leave the Rangers to the Basher bots." Ripcon told him.

"But I can..."

"Leave them for now." Ripcon told him. "Proceed with the plan."

"As you command." Stonedozer said, heading back to the rockface, before ripping into it with his scoops.

At the arena, Levi was standing on the stage, the spotlight on him as his fans screamed in delight. He knew that some of them had paid most of their available money, and some had been waiting all night to see him, and so he was determined to give every person in the arena the show they had paid for.

"Hello Summer Cove!" He called out. "What did you think of the Rebel Rockers? Why don't you all give them a hand?"

The fans applauded the warm-up act, who had already left the stage. Levi was always considerate of others considering the humble beginnings of his own act. He had performed warm-up gigs before, and while they weren't the act people had paid to see, they did deserve a lot of credit for the work they did. Unfortunately, not everyone saw it that way. Levi had opened for more than one big act who had gotten so full of themselves they saw anyone else as beneath them. He had once opened for a guy that literally started his concert with the words, "Now that' shit's over, time for what you paid to see!" Levi never worked with that guy again, but he also made sure to never treat any of his warm-up acts that way. At one time, even The Beatles had been a warm-up act.

He started strumming the strings of his guitar, and his audience fell silent.

"Now, this is one of my biggest hits, and I know it's one you always love to hear. It's one of my favourites too." He told them.

"Long before we try,  
to get tangled up in time,  
We took so much for granted,  
with nothing to hide,  
I'll be missing you,  
Oh, I'll be missing you."

Back at the cave entrance, Preston, Calvin and Hayley were waiting on word from Sarah and Brody. Preston was overlooking the arena, and they could faintly hear the sound of music. Hayley could be heard humming the tune, recognising the song even from this distance.

"I still can't believe he went ahead with the concert." Preston stated. "We've all missed out on important stuff because of this."

"Preston, he had a whole arena full of fans who had paid to see him." Hayley reminded him. "He...probably couldn't back out."

"So he refunds them or puts on another concert!" Preston said bad-temperedly as he looked back to them. "I mean...I know I've skipped shows because of Ranger duties."

"I don't think that's the same thing." Hayley offered. "He'd have to pay out thousands, maybe millions to fans if he cancelled. You don't even charge your fans."

"That's not the point!" Preston snapped. "I love magic, I'd love to just concentrate on my shows, but this is way more important."

"Preston, I'm with you on this one." Calvin told him. "But that's for Levi to figure out. He literally just got his powers, he doesn't know any better."

"Not to mention he literally just spent months as a prisoner on the Warrior Dome." Hayley reminded him. "I can't exactly blame him for wanting to do normal stuff for a while. That brain scrambling thing that Odious did to him sounds...creepy. It still gives me the shivers just thinking about it."

"Hey guys, heads up." Calvin said as he heard something from the cave. Sarah and Brody were coming running as blasts went off behind them.

"We're bringing company!" Sarah yelled as they ran out of the cave. Calvin, Preston and Hayley all opened fire into the cave, which acted as a bottle-neck, forcing the Basher bots into a narrow field of fire, meaning they quickly tore through them. Calvin looked to Brody and Sarah as they got back up.

"What happened down there?" He asked.

"They were trying to bring down the arena." Sarah told them. "I thought if we got their attention on us and not the arena, we could..."

"Sarah, where's that monster?" Brody asked her. Sarah looked into the cave noticing the one area of her plan that had fallen down. Stonedozer hadn't followed them! The ground shook again.

"He's still digging!" Sarah stated. "We have to stop him!"

"No time!" Brody told her. "We need to evacuate the concert!"

"I'll call Levi..."

"We already tried, he can't hear us." Brody interrupted Preston. "We'll have to go ourselves."

"We need to move fast or those people are done for!" Hayley called out. "Mega Morph Cycles, rev up!"

Back at the concert, Levi continued his song.

"Love will always be the key,  
Look into my heart and see,  
Come on now!"

He gestured with his arm to invite the audience to join in as he strode across the stage to one of his speakers. He stopped only to pick up a microphone.

"I'll, be there,  
In moments of sorrow,"

He grabbed the front of the speaker and ripped it off, revealing Victor behind it. Victor just looked completely stunned, staring out over thousands of fans that were all staring at him. Levi handed him the microphone, and nodded to indicate to him to join in.

"I'll, be there,  
Just tell it to heart too!"

He ripped the front off the other speaker, revealing Monty, who was on the verge of keeling over the moment he saw all the audience looking at him. Levi handed him a microphone and brought the two of them to the middle of the stage, putting his arm around each of them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please give it up for my special guest back-up singers, the heroes of the mall, Victor and Monty!" He called out, before gesturing to them to keep going.

"Our love's everlasting..."

Victor and Monty finally plucked up the courage to join in.

"I'll, be there,  
There's no more denying,  
I'll, be there...

Unfortunately, the moment was interrupted by another tremor, this one a lot harsher than the ones that came before it. Some of the equipment fell over, and the fans started screaming. Levi knew that the first priority was to the safety of the fans and killed the music straight away.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please try to remain calm!" Levi begged them over the house microphone. "Please make your way quickly and in an orderly fashion to the emergency exits, the arena staff will help you."

He turned to Victor and Monty.

"You guys helped before; would you do me a solid and help everyone to the exits?" He asked.

"Anything you need Levi." Victor replied. As he and Monty ran off, Monty just squealed.

"We got to sing with Levi Weston on stage!" He screeched. "This way ladies and gentlemen, this way! Don't dawdle!"

Levi remained on the stage, despite his instincts to run. People were there for him, so in a lot of ways, he had taken on a responsibility to lead that crowd. He wasn't going to leave until he was sure that his fans got clear. He looked up as he saw the Rangers arriving, coming to either side of him.

"This way Mr Weston." Hayley told him as they tried to escort him to a more secluded area. As they got there, Brody noticed Levi wasn't wearing his Ninja-comm.

"Where's your Ninja-comm? We've been trying to call you!" Brody asked him. Levi looked around, picking it up off a crate. He could see it was still flashing.

"I'm sorry, I took it off...I don't wear a watch when I'm playing, it restricts my wrist movement when I'm trying to play..."

"You NEVER take that off!" Brody snapped at him.

"Stonedozer's trying to collapse this entire building!" Hayley informed him. Levi looked horrified at the thought. He could have evacuated the building long before the tremors got this bad if only he'd had his Ninja-comm with him. He had been so intent on fulfilling his commitment to the show that he had neglected his responsibility to the safety of the people.

"Guys, I'm...I'm sorry!" He gulped. "I want to make this right; we need to get everyone out of here! Ninja SPIN!"

He morphed into the Gold Ranger, before looking to the others.

"We need to make sure everyone's out of here." He told them. "If we split up, we should be able to cover the whole arena pretty quickly!"

With that, they all ran off, hoping that people had gotten the message and were getting out before the whole building came down on top of them.

Back in the cave, Stonedozer was digging away when Ripcon got a message on his communicator. He smiled as he saw what it said.

"The Rangers are at the arena! They're trying to evacuate it as we speak!" Ripcon told him. "Bring it down, now! Turn that arena into their tomb!"

With that, he teleported out, leaving Stonedozer to re-double his efforts to destroy the arena. They had predicted that the Rangers would try to do everything they could to save the people at the arena, and now that they were there, they would no doubt sacrifice themselves if they had to in order to make sure everyone got out.

Outside the arena, people were making their way out to the safe zone in the parking lot. Victor and Monty were helping staff to ensure people kept moving, but people who had been split up from friends and loved ones were milling around trying to find them and needed to be reminded to keep moving.

Mary, the girl who had won Levi's biggest fan contest, was one such person. She'd been split up from her parents when they got outside, and now was wandering around trying to find them.

"Mom?" She called out in her terror. "Dad?"

She could hear a rumble and looked above her, just as a piece of the building the size of a car became dislodged and started to fall right towards her. In her panic she froze to the spot and started screaming. Levi put his arm around her.

"I've got you!" Levi told her, aiming his morpher up. "Storm Blast!"

The debris splintered into smaller, far less harmful chunks and rained down around them. Levi held Mary close, taking the remainder on his back, his suit taking most of the damage. As he released her, Mary looked up to him.

"Gold Ranger, you saved me!" She gushed as she hugged him tight. "You're my hero!"

"Thanks, but you need to get to safety." He told her.

"But my dad..."

"I...think that's him." Levi answered as he saw him running towards them. He recognised him from meeting Mary and her parents earlier, but he had to be careful not to let on. Of course a man running INTO a collapsing building to find a young girl, it was a pretty logical conclusion it was her dad, so Mary didn't seem to take much notice as she ran to meet him.

"Get yourselves to safety!" Levi told him. "I'm going to make sure everyone's out."

"Thank you Gold Ranger." Mary's dad replied as he ran off with Mary in his arms. Levi watched them go, and he smiled. He had made a huge mistake. He loved music, and he always would, but right now, seeing them leaving the arena safe and sound, he knew what was important.

He ran back inside, quickly finding the others as they assembled near the middle of the entrance aisle.

"Guys, is there anyone left?" Levi asked.

"No one over here." Sarah told him.

"No one in my area either." Calvin added.

"It looks like the building's clear." Hayley told him. "It looks like we're the only ones here."

"Great, now all we need to do is worry about getting ourselves out." Preston stated as a huge piece of the ceiling came down.

"Come on, this way!" Brody told them, leading the way.

On top of the cliff, overlooking the arena, Ripcon watched as the building collapsed. He had a satisfied smirk on his face as he watched it tumble down. He looked to the nearest Buzz-cam and gestured to the arena.

"Did I not tell you?" He demanded. "You see? What did I tell you? The Rangers are finished!"

"Oh my, look at the carnage!" Cosmo responded, what a knockout! Ladies and Gentlemen, it looks like Stonedozer has done it!"

The ground erupted and Stonedozer dug himself out of the tunnel. Due to his stone-like physiology, he was more than capable of withstanding the cave-in. He stood triumphantly as he surveyed his handiwork. He looked to the camera and threw his hands up in triumph.

"Did you see that Galvanax? Did you SEE THAT?" He roared. "Once I dig those Power Stars out, I'll take my rightful place as your number one contender! Keep that belt warm for me champ. Soon, everyone will be cheering MY name as they crown me the new Galaxy Warriors..."

"Sorry to interrupt, but...don't you think you're being a little premature in booking your title match?" Brody asked.

"WHAT?" Stonedozer screeched. "You escaped? Impossible!"

"Never underestimate the speed of a ninja!" Brody told him. Levi stepped forward, his weapon resting over his shoulder.

"You destroyed my concert!" He called out. "Guys, I know I have a lot to make up for. Let me take the rock-headed monster."

"We'll take care of horn-head." Preston told him.

"That'll be easier said than...wait...what?" Ripcon screamed as he drew his swords, but started to disappear. "NO!"

Ripcon disappeared and a bunch of Basher bots were teleported in his place. Calvin just sighed.

"More of these guys?" He asked. "Well if we're going to be facing them a lot, I guess we could use the practice!"

Ripcon appeared back in the Warrior Dome, completely livid. He came over to Cosmo, grabbing him by the coat.

"Why did you teleport me out of there?" Ripcon demanded. "Send me back, NOW!"

"You'll get your chance, don't you worry!" Cosmo stated, before drawing closer. "Nobody dies on this show unless I say so! Ladies and Gentlemen! Give it up for Ripcon!"

Ripcon just stormed off, while Cosmo returned to his audience.

"Now then folks, who wants to see how the new Gold Ranger fares against Stonedozer?" He asked. "Winner take all, one-on-one?"

Back at the battle site, Levi was taking his frustrations out on Stonedozer. He had threatened the lives of thousands of his fans, people that were only at the concert arena to see him, all just to get to him. He felt responsible for putting them in danger, even if they didn't know about it.

"You like earthquakes, let's see how you like tornadoes!" Levi called out. "Storm Star, Tornado ATTACK!"

The attack picked Stonedozer up high into the air, and slammed him down hard. It angered him to know that Stonedozer had shown such callous disregard for his fans, that he saw them only as a way to get to the Rangers, but more than anything it angered him to know that a lot of what happened was down to him. It was nothing short of a miracle that everyone had been evacuated and no one was hurt, or worse. It didn't bear thinking about what could have happened if he hadn't called the evacuation when he had.

"Levi, give this a try!" Sarah called out, throwing him a Power Star. "It's a little something one of my friends and I perfected!"

"Nice!" Levi called out, loading it into his weapon. "Ninja Clone Star!"

A mirror copy of him appeared, and they both fell upon Stonedozer, chipping away at him as he tried in vain to fend them off.

"I'm normally an acoustic kind of guy, but tonight, I'm going ELECTRIC!" Levi called out. "Storm Star, Lightning Attack!"

Stonedozer was hit full on by two lightning attacks at once, taking him off his feet. He struggled to get back up, but by now Levi was more than ready to finish the battle once and for all. As his clone disappeared, Levi stood ready.

"Storm Star, Tornado Slashes!" He yelled, rushing into the attack. He spun around Stonedozer, slashing at him more times than anyone could see. By the time he stopped a little way from him, Stonedozer was swaying on his feet. Levi pulled out his burger camera, lining up a selfie.

"Say Cheeseburger!" He said, taking the snap, moments before Stonedozer fell to the ground and exploded. "Stonedozer has left the building!"

"Did...did he just make an Elvis reference?" Preston asked.

"I'm more surprised by the fact he took a selfie in the middle of a battle." Sarah chuckled. "Tyler's finally lost his king of the selfie crown."


	15. Take The Bull By The Horns

On the Warrior Dome, Cosmo knew what the result would be even before Stonedozer hit the ground and exploded. He had a sixth sense for reading his crowd, and the studio audience were practically in a frothing frenzy over the destruction he had already wrought on the city. The information he was getting over his headset on the responses on Social Media suggested the home audience was also similarly like-minded. He almost didn't need to bring out the audience tracker, but then...it was all about the show.

"It looks like Stonedozer's been caught between a rock and a hard place!" Cosmo stated. "Shall we give him another chance?"

There had only been a handful of times that he had seen the meter show up so quickly. There was never any doubt as the display flashed up the verdict.

"You asked for it! GIGANTIFY!" Cosmo called out, slamming his hand down on the button. He danced for his audience as they roared their approval. Stonedozer had taken out the arena and almost taken out the Rangers at normal size. They were more than ready to see what he could do with a power boost! Right now, so was Cosmo.

Down on the ground, Levi was looking at the Rangers as they whooped in excitement and came to congratulate him. All but one of them anyway, he could already see that Brody was a lot more restrained. In a lot of ways he couldn't blame him.

Levi had been raised with a very simple set of values out in Texas. If you made a mess, it was up to you to set it right. That didn't mean you were forgiven or that you hadn't messed up in the first place, it just meant that you were responsible for cleaning up after yourself.

Levi had taken care of Stonedozer, but that didn't mean that a lot of what happened wasn't down to him. He had blown off the Rangers all week, concentrating on his concert. While he did have obligations to his producer and his fans but since he had revealed himself to the Rangers he hadn't so much as been to the Command Centre.

He had been asked to go with them to investigate the earthquakes only a short way from the arena, and yet he had been unwilling to even delay the start of his concert a little bit to go with them. If he had, maybe he could have helped and the arena wouldn't have been destroyed, and he was perfectly certain the Rebel Rockers would have been able to pad out their set with an extra couple of songs.

Then there was the debacle of the Ninja-comm. He always took off his watch when he played, not because he needed to, but because he didn't like how it felt while he was playing. Because of that, he had been delayed in calling for the evacuation of the arena. It was a miracle that no one had been seriously hurt or worse. He stood, looking to them a little uneasily.

"Listen guys...I..."

"This should probably wait." Preston suggested as the beam hit the ground right where Stonedozer had fallen. Levi turned in time to see him starting to revive and grow to incredible size. As the other Rangers went for their stars, he just held up a hand.

"Thanks for the offer, but this is still on me." Levi told them. "This is still my mess to clean up."

"Levi, you've never called your Zord before. You've never been in a Zord battle before." Sarah reminded him.

"I'm sure there was a time that was true for you guys too." Levi answered.

"Yeah, and I remember how that went!" Sarah shot back, recalling the way they had stumbled through their first Zord battle against Ripperrat. It had been ultimately successful, but if she was to score it on style points...she was sure their score would have somehow found a way to end up on a negative scale.

"I appreciate the offer, but please, let me at least try to fix my own mistakes." Levi told her. Brody just nodded his head.

"We'll back you up if you need it." He assured him. Levi pulled out his Zord star, loading it into his weapon.

"Bull-Rider Zords, out of the shadows!" He called out. The Rangers watched on as a humungous Zord, one that looked a lot like a quad bike fashioned after a bull came into view. Riding on top of it was a light blue Zord of similar design to Brody's Robo Red Zord.

"He gets...two Zords?" Calvin complained. "How is that fair?"

"Well...you DID kind of get two Zords." Hayley reminded him.

"Yeah, you got the Rumble Tusk and Sarah got the Astro Zord." Preston reminded him. "Hayley and I only got one Zord."

"Yeah, and I don't even get my own Megazord configuration." Hayley chipped in, looking to Preston. "You didn't hear me complaining."

Levi leapt into his Zord, taking up position in the control room. He stared down Stonedozer as his Zord raced around him, keeping him off-balance trying to keep track of where it was.

"First you trash my concert, now you're trying to make a comeback?" Levi yelled at him. "Sorry Stonedozer, I know a one-hit wonder when I see one! Ninja Master Mode!"

He powered up, gaining his armour as Stonedozer swiped this way and that, trying in vain to land a blow on the Bull-Rider Zord, but it was much too fast for him to get so much as a glancing hit on it.

"Hold still!" Stonedozer screamed, frustrated at his inability to land a hit. He finally started scooping up bucketfuls of rocks the size of cars. If he couldn't hit him with close attacks, then he was going to have to try ranged combat. "Let's see how you handle a little ROCK!"

Levi could have avoided most of the attacks, but he knew that if he did, the rocks that missed him would likely head deep into the city. The Bull-Rider Zord pulled its head down, beneath the much more heavily armoured front plate of the Bull-Zord, allowing it to take the hits. Levi could feel the impacts, but it seemed the Bull-Zord was built to take a hit. He was getting instructions through on his display, informing him of its abilities, one of which was a deadly ram attack. It made sense that its head plate was built to take one hell of a hit.

He continued straight through, ramming into Stonedozer full-speed, before hitting a wheelie, throwing him high overhead. On the ground, the Rangers cheered him on.

"Go Levi!" Calvin called out.

"Levi, check your configurations, you might have a Megazord mode!" Sarah told him. Calvin just turned to stare at her.

"Wait...he has a Megazord?" He asked. "How is that fair?"

"Levi, try combining your Zords, it should give you a power boost!" Sarah reiterated, ignoring Calvin's comments. Levi just looked to the display, seeing that Sarah was right, his Zords did indeed have their own Megazord configuration.

"Bull-Rider Megazord, Combine!" He yelled, activating its conversation. As the transformation completed, the Rangers just stared at it.

"Does that look like a giant cowboy to anyone else?" Preston asked.

"So much for the ninja motif." Hayley sighed.

"Well I...guess...there's no reason that cowboys couldn't be ninjas?" Brody offered weakly. "The Samurai cared a lot more about blood lineage than the ninja did."

Stonedozer started scooping up rocks again, throwing huge piles of rocks his way. Levi could see not all of them would hit his Zord. Powering up his blaster, he took careful aim.

"Time for some target practice! Rapid fire!" He said as he opened fire, blasting the rocks into dust with powerful blasts. Stonedozer could only watch as his attack failed. Running out of options, he let out a massive roar, before rushing headlong straight at the Bull-Rider Megazord.

"You mess with my fans, you answer to me!" Levi announced, powering up his Zord. "Rodeo Rapid Blast, Final ATTACK!"

Stonedozer didn't get to reach Levi as he opened fire with a succession of high-powered blasts. Before he could get to him, he pitched forward, hitting the ground and exploding. Levi just raised his blaster into the air.

"Show's over, Ninjas WIN!" He announced. Down on the ground, the Rangers were celebrating as he leapt out of his Megazord, coming to greet them.

"Levi, that was awesome!" Preston exclaimed. "You did an amazing job!"

"Yeah, you rock!" Sarah agreed, offering up a fist-bump. Levi though could still see that Brody was a little more reluctant and a little slower to come forward with praise. The others all just looked to Brody. The Red Ranger was still put-out by the fact that Levi didn't prioritise his Ranger duties over the concert, it was a big disappointment considering the lengths Levi had gone to in order to convince him he wasn't a self-centred celebrity only concerned with what benefitted him. However, eventually he offered him a handshake.

"Good job Levi." He told him. Levi accepted the handshake.

"Thanks Brody." He answered humbly, knowing that all things considered, there was a lot more Brody could have said on the matter. He looked to the others. "Look, I need to go check on things back at the concert. People will be looking for me but...I'll see you at the school tomorrow alright?"

"Levi?" Hayley asked as he turned to run off.

"I'll be there tomorrow, I swear!" He told them. "Trust me!"

With that, he disappeared. The Rangers all gathered around.

"He did a great job." Preston stated.

"Yeah, at least the Gold Ranger got one great battle." Sarah sighed. "Come on guys, let's go home."

Up on the Warrior Dome, Cosmo was in his office. He didn't need to hang around for the usual floor show of Galvanax chewing out Ripcon for his failure. Galvanax always did think in terms of the short-game. All he cared about was getting the Ninja Power Stars, and so any battle that ended without him getting them was a failure to him. That wasn't the case for Cosmo though.

Wrench came in, seeing Cosmo admiring the handiwork in his office. It had now been completely cleaned and refurbished after the attack. Everything was back as it was, no mean feat considering much of the decor was antique and likely extremely expensive and difficult to come by. However, in less than a day it looked like the attack never happened, likely what Cosmo was going for.

"Wrench my boy, what can I help you with?" Cosmo asked him.

"Sir...I um..." Wrench started to stammer, trying to find the words to speak. "Um...I wanted to see if..."

"If I'm happy with the show? Of COURSE I am!" Cosmo told him. "Wrench, Stonedozer was a great warrior, and his loss is sad, but the only thing better than keeping a star is making a new one! I've just gotten the figures back and this Gold Ranger is a hit across every demographic!"

"Well yes, that's great news." Wrench told him. "Um...I was going to ask if you're alright after..."

"Wrench my boy, if I stopped every time I was threatened or attacked I would never have come this far." Cosmo told him flatly. He panned his hand around the room. "You don't get all this without crossing a few people."

"But what if Ripcon..."

"My dear boy, this isn't Ripcon's doing!" Cosmo interrupted him. "Ripcon's a lot of things, but the one thing he isn't is devious. There's no way he has the brains or the sneaky streak to pull something like this off. If there's one thing I'm certain of it's that Ripcon is no traitor."

"But...you said..."

"I think you'll find I've never SAID I thought Ripcon was the traitor." Cosmo assured him. "Of course if I continue to let the real traitor THINK I believe it's him, then they are likely to let their guard down. They'll reveal themselves soon enough."

He leant over his desk.

"Unless...there's something you'd like to tell me?" He offered. Wrench shook his head rapidly. Cosmo just sighed and backed off. "That's a pity. Now, about the next show..."

"Ripcon says he's got..."

"Oh, we'll let Ripcon have another shot soon, but first...I thought I might take a little crack at things." Cosmo told him.

"You?" Wrench asked him. "But...but...you don't..."

"My boy, I have a special event planned that I'm sure will keep everyone entertained." Cosmo assured him. "Believe me, no one will be BOARD."

The following day at Summer Cove high, the students were called early in the day for an assembly in the main hall. It wasn't often that Principal Hastings really bothered with assemblies, usually it was only when the school board mandated it, but there was a lot of buzz surrounding this one, especially as many of the students had seen a couple of limos and even some news vans parked outside.

"I wonder what's going on." Preston said as he struggled to get through the crowds. "Have any of you guys seen Levi?"

"I'm afraid not." Brody answered, though there was a slightly icy tone in his voice. It wasn't as though it was a secret he wasn't impressed by Levi's lack of commitment to the team so far, and a broken promise to the team didn't sound like it surprised him particularly much.

"Hey, that's the woman from the local TV station." Calvin stated. They all got as close as possible to try and hear what she was saying.

"Today we're at Summer Cove high, the home of many Levi Weston fans." She began her report. "After yesterday's massive earthquakes, the city's mayor and Levi Weston himself are expected to make big announcements."

"Did you hear that?" Sarah asked. "Levi IS here!"

"I guess maybe you judged him a little quickly." Hayley teased Brody.

"Alright, so he's here." Brody said, conceding that he had been a little quick to judge. However, this wasn't exactly what he had in mind when Levi had told him he'd meet them at the school. He had more of a Ranger meeting in mind, not a press-conference. "Three months is a really long time to go without the Gold Ranger."

"Yeah, we worked so well together and now he's leaving." Preston said sadly.

"At least he's leaving his Zord." Calvin said, producing the Bull-Rider Zord Star. "I guess..."

"Yoink!" Hayley said, whipping it out of his hand. Calvin just stared at her open-mouthed. "I'm the one with only one Zord and no special Megazord configuration remember?"

"How could I say no to you?" Calvin asked, putting his arm around her and pulling her in close.

"Hey, it looks like they're about to start." Brody said as he saw the mayor and Levi coming out of a side room. There was some applause as they came up to the podium, while Principal Hastings tried to get the kids to settle down so that they could speak.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm pleased to see you all here today. It is a testament to the fortitude of the city of Sumer Cove to see so many of you back out and about so soon after yesterday's attack." The Mayor began. "I'd like to once again thank the Power Rangers for their continued efforts to keep this city safe from those who would do us harm."

There was some applause, and the Rangers had to remind themselves to clap too. It felt a little big-headed to be clapping themselves, but since no one actually knew they were the Rangers, they couldn't really be seen to not show their appreciation.

"The city has fortunately received relatively minor damage, with the exception of the arena which unfortunately was completely destroyed. However, we have been assured by Tien Industries that they will rebuild it bigger and better than ever."

There was another applause, which the Mayor gratefully received. He then gestured to his side.

"Now ladies and gentlemen, I'd like you to welcome, Levi Weston." He declared. Levi stepped up to huge cheers from the crowd. He took his position by the podium and prepared to begin.

"I'm so glad you're all safe, thanks to the Power Rangers." Levi began. "And I'd also like to say that I look forward to performing for you all again as soon as the new arena is open to make up for the show I had to cancel."

He let the crowd cheer for a moment as he took a deep breath. This was the important part, and while there were dozens of people there, his real audience was only five people. Well, five and an alien.

"I'd also like to say that seeing them in action, seeing what they do to help others made me think a lot about what's important. Which is why after a long talk with my management team, I've decided to postpone my world tour so that I could stick around a while and help out in any way I can." He told them. Everyone in the crowd was surprised, especially the Rangers. He hadn't had a chance to tell them about his change of plans, but despite the surprise, he could tell they were happy with his decision. They were getting to keep their newest Ranger after all. "But don't worry, I love my fans, and I'll be working hard on new songs and new material so that when I do get to go, the new world tour will be better than ever."

The crowd cheered loudly, hearing that their idol was putting them first and sticking around. No one could have blamed Levi for taking the first plane as far from Summer Cove as humanly possible. He certainly had the means to do so. He hopped down from the podium, to where his new friends were waiting, accepting high-fives and hugs from them all.

"I'm so sorry you guys, I've been making my music my priority for so long I guess...I just never thought about what my priorities should be." Levi said apologetically. "I should have put being a Ranger first. If I'd come with you to investigate the earthquakes, maybe all of this wouldn't have happened. Helping you all, and especially that little girl Mary taught me something. Music is important, but right now, the world needs the Gold Ranger a lot more than it needs Levi Weston."

"Well it's great to hear you say that." Brody said, smiling and offering Levi a handshake. Levi accepted it, pleased that he had finally won him over. "We all have to make a few sacrifices for the greater good."

"Now all we have to worry about is how I get in and out of the Command Centre for Ranger business." Levi sighed. "I know about your secret entrances and all, but trust me, getting around being famous is not that easy, and people might just notice me hanging around the school all the time."

"Mr Weston!" Principal Hastings said, tapping him on the shoulder. "I couldn't help hearing your announcement; you said you wanted to help the city?"

"Um...well yes ma'am, that's exactly right." Levi told her.

"I think I might have an idea." She told him. "Would you mind coming to my office?"

"Um...sure." He said with a shrug. She grabbed him by the wrist, starting to drag him to the office as Mick was approaching.

"Principal Hastings, about that museum..."

"Not now Mitch." She snapped as she brushed past him.

"It's Mick, actually." He corrected her, but she was already too far away. Mick just looked confused, but shrugged his shoulders and went about his business.

Principal Hastings and Levi arrived in her office, at which she closed and locked the door. She turned to look at him, eyeing him up and down.

"You know, there aren't many people who would be willing to stick around and help a city with as many problems as this one." She commented.

"Yeah, well...I just want to help." He said as she started to walk around him. He was very aware of her gaze as she eyed him up.

"Well, the thing is, I happen to be a fan of yours. I've read your autobiography cover to cover four times." She told him.

"Yeah...thanks." He offered weakly.

"The thing is, I seem to remember something...you mentioned in it you considered becoming a teacher didn't you?" She asked him. He furrowed his brows.

"Well...if my career hadn't worked out I did think of teaching." He answered. "But..."

"Well, it just so happens that we're in need of a music teacher." She told him. "Mr Epstien decided enough was enough when his third car was flattened by a monster and practically sprinted out of town before his resignation letter even hit my desk. I was wondering, since you're going to be hanging around for a while...?"

"I'm real flattered and all, but..."

"Oh, I'm sure you'd be an excellent teacher. Who better to teach the children about music than someone who has made a living out of it?" She asked him, taking out her hair tie and shaking her hair loose. "Of course the only question is...how much do you want it?"

Levi was starting to panic, but before he could answer, he thought of something. A grown adult hanging around a school without good reason in the current age was usually a cause for concern. In his case, being famous, he was just far more likely to be noticed. He doubted it would end well if he hung around the school, going in and out for his Ranger duties, at best he would inadvertently draw attention to the Rangers, at worst...he could end up in very serious trouble if people got the wrong idea! While being a teacher was something that did interest him for the days when he was planning to wind down his career, right now, it would provide him all the reason he'd need to be around the school without people getting the wrong idea.

He went over to the door, and grabbed the draw-string to the curtain that covered the glass.

"I guess the sacrifices start now." He sighed as he pulled down the curtain.

 **A/N:** I do have to give a particular shout-out to Lily Hanson here. Making Levi a music teacher was something that hadn't initially occurred to me, and it's a concept she was willing to let me borrow from her storyline. As such, just a quick thank you for that. More coming soon.


	16. Don't Get Board

Levi was surprisingly getting settled into his new position as a teacher in the school. There were a few inevitable difficulties, mostly surrounding who he was. The students were willing to pay attention to him, though many of them wanted to hear more about his career as a professional musician than they were his lessons, not to mention that most of the girl, and he was convinced even a couple of the guys, tended to spend more time staring at him and fantasizing than paying attention to his lessons. Even in the teacher's lounge a lot of the faculty spent the first couple of days fussing over him, making sure he got the best chair and the best coffee and snacks and asking for autographs and pictures, but after a few days the novelty wore off with the staff at least.

He was still having a little more difficulty getting the students to pay attention. He had a feeling that other teachers had the same problem, albeit for entirely different reasons. The one piece of good news was that thanks to Principal Hastings' infatuation with him, he hadn't needed to worry about the fact he strictly speaking wasn't qualified for a teaching position. He'd never gone to college; he had started his career almost straight after High School. Sarah had assured him she could get him false documents if he needed them (he thought it better not to ask how exactly) but so far Hastings had never asked for any such documents.

The only thing he had in his favour was that it wasn't too hard to get a class to be quiet, usually they were pretty quiet anyway, and now that he was a teacher, he could hang around the school all he wanted and no one would look twice in his direction. Many of the staff would arrive before the students did, and would go home long after the final bell, and so none of them even looked in his direction if he was at the school outwith hours. The Rangers as well also had a new advantage in that now they had two teachers in on their secret, so there were two teachers only too willing to sign permission slips for them to be in school after hours for "extra credit".

It was coming to the end of the week, and the other students had long since gone home. For most, they did their best Barry Allen impression as soon as the final bell sounded, but for the Rangers, that just meant the place was quiet and gave them a chance to be on their own. Any teachers that were still around were in their own classes marking homework and working on lesson plans, so none of them cared about the fact that Levi was taking an "extra-credit" lesson with them in the main dining hall, strumming away on his guitar while they sat in a circle around him, singing.

Principal Hastings was working through some paperwork in the lobby, and couldn't help looking over and shaking her head. She found that young teachers were often highly idealistic in their approach to students. They had often grown up watching day-time shows and movies about amazing teachers that would go out of their way to embrace their students as people and elevate all of them by spending every spare moment with them individually and becoming friends and even family with them. The reality was that most teachers had four to five classes a day of around thirty students so that level of contact with students was difficult to maintain at best, and for most impossible. Most very quickly fell out of such habits. She felt like Levi had a lot to learn about being a teacher, but as long as she didn't have to spend time looking for another music teacher, she figured it was his life and he could do with it what he wanted.

She looked up with a start as an old woman seemed to appear from nowhere. She hadn't seen or heard anyone come in. The old lady was wearing a long, black dress and a long, black coat and hat. She had straggly white hair and a deeply wrinkled face with a prominent mole on her chin. She looked like something straight out of a Cryptkeeper tale. She was holding a cardboard box in her hands.

"Excuse me." The old lady greeted her. "I'm donating these priceless valuables to the school."

"Priceless you say?" Principal Hastings asked her. A lot of people did make donations to the school, and while generally money was the most useful, it wasn't unusual for people to donate other things as well. The Education Department budget only went so far and so they were usually always on the lookout for anything they could use. She opened the box and started to rummage through the contents, hoping for something of value, whether it was something that could be used like cooking equipment for the home economics department, or something that could go on eBay and earn a few dollars for purchasing something useful like stationery.

Her face betrayed her feelings as she looked through though. Clearly her idea of what priceless meant and the old ladies' were very different. A more accurate description in her mind would have been WORTHLESS. There was a broken barometer, a chess set that seemed to be missing most of the pieces, a bottle with no label that she frankly wasn't sure she wanted to know the contents of.

"You know, I'm not sure we're going to need..." Her words tailed off as she saw the old lady had left just as mysteriously as she had arrived. She was so busy checking out all the 'treasures' that the old lady had slipped away without her even seeing her. She just groaned and started to rummage through some more.

"Just because we're closer than the city dump doesn't mean you should just dump all your crap on us." She muttered as she pulled out more 'treasures' from the box. A book that looked so old and worn she couldn't tell if it was even printed in English, or any other language anyone could actually read, a clock with the hands missing...and a board game of some description. It was a black box with the words 'Grave Robber' emblazoned across it in a sickly yellow print that looked like it had been splattered on.

"Wow, Grave Robber? I love old board games!" Calvin gasped as he approached. He had left the others to go to the bathroom and stopped by the desk as he saw it. Principal Hastings had seen enough of this old lady's 'treasures' and frankly just wanted it out of her sight. She put everything else into the box and put the game on top.

"You want it; take the rest of this to the dump and it's yours." She said, thrusting the box into Calvin's hands like it had somehow offended her. Calvin just nodded his head.

"Thanks!" He said, sounding delighted. As he left to rejoin his friends, Principal Hastings just sighed and shook her head, not understanding his enthusiasm at all as she started dusting her hands off on her skirt before going back to what she was doing.

As Calvin went over to the others, he couldn't help looking at the box. He loved board games. While his generation was all about video games, he always found something special about board games. Sure, they took longer to set up and put away than video games, and they certainly didn't have any of the flashy graphics or anything that video games had, but there was something nice to him about the simplicity of some dice and plastic pieces on a cardboard gaming board. One of his first loves was Mousetrap, a game involving an overly-complicated contraption that gave a young Calvin his first taste of mechanics, but he loved them all. Cluedo, Snakes and Ladders, Risk, Monopoly...he always loved it whenever he got a chance to just sit with his friends or his family and play a board game.

"Hey guys, check this out! I just got it from Hastings." Calvin said as he arrived, showing them the board game. Sarah took it out, having a look at it.

"Grave Robber." She read aloud, checking out the box. "Frightful fun...if you survive."

"Talk about understated advertising." Hayley remarked. "I've never heard of this game."

"I used to love board games." Preston stated. "Mom would play them every holiday."

"Say, the Shop Class is free, why don't we play it in there?" Calvin asked. "We could dim the lights, put on some creepy music, really set the mood!"

"You are WAY too into this." Levi chuckled.

"Cal's always been into board games." Hayley told them, holding his hand. "I think it's adorable."

"Well, it does sound like fun." Brody replied. "Come on guys, let's go play."

"Guys, I've never really liked board games and to be honest, that one looks kind of lame." Levi said as he shook his head.

"How can you tell, you've only seen the outside of the box." Sarah stated.

"Come on, why don't we just sing another song?" He asked.

"We've been singing for a while, and I'd kind of like to see what this is like." Preston stated.

"Come on Levi, it'll be fun." Hayley assured him. The Gold Ranger though didn't look at all convinced.

"Nah, you all go on if you want. It's not my thing." Levi told them.

"Alright." Brody said as they got up. "Come on guys, let's go rob some graves."

He just paused for a moment and looked around, grateful no one else was there.

"You know...saying that out loud did sound kind of wrong didn't it?" He asked, before they all headed off towards the Shop Class. Levi just settled into his chair and started to play another song.

Meanwhile, outside, the old lady was peering in the window, and watched the Rangers leave with the board game. She smiled as she saw this, backing away from the window, cackling.

"They've fallen for it, hook, line and sinker." She laughed, before changing form, transforming into Cosmo Royale, host of Galaxy Warriors. He turned to a buzz-cam hovering a little way from him. "Now to return to the studio, buckle up fight fans, the Cosmo Nightmare Special is about to begin!"

With that, he teleported back onto the Warrior Dome.

Preston and Calvin were just finishing up setting up the board while the others made their preparations, getting some snacks and drinks. Sarah had set up a stereo to play a spooky soundtrack she had put together for Halloween, while Brody turned the lights down to set the mood.

"Man, this looks great!" Calvin said as he finished setting up the board. It was a dark board that was patterned with lightning bolts and had the name Grave Robber emblazoned across the bottom. There was a path, lined with gravestones running from a gate at one end, past a spooky looking castle, all the way to a gate at the other end. There was a timing glass and a ten-sided dice with the game, along with a red gaming piece.

"It looks like we start here, and finish around here." Hayley said, taking her best guess as to how the game was played. Preston was busy reading the instructions to try and get an insight into the game.

"This is s creepy." Sarah said, looking down at the board. A bright smile crossed her face. "I totally love it!"

"Place your piece at the cemetery gate." Preston read aloud, like he was reading a spell. He liked board games himself as a kid, but his real love was Dungeons and Dragons. He loved the magic aspect of it, and he also loved how the game was immersive and tried to draw the players into the world as opposed to simply moving pieces around on a board. He tried to set the mood with his best Dungeon Master experience. "And turn the hour glass to seal your fate!"

He and Sarah both let out their best version of an evil laugh to really set the atmosphere of the game. Brody rubbed his hands together in glee.

"Spooky. I can't wait to get started." He told them. "I haven't played board games since I was five."

"Five?" Calvin asked. "But I thought you were kidnapped when you were eight?"

"I was, but dad didn't let me and Aiden play board games." Brody told them.

"Your dad didn't let you play board games?" Haley asked him. "I knew he was a tough trainer but...he banned board games? That's just mean!"

"Well, that wasn't really why he banned them." Brody told them. "That was Aiden's fault."

"Your brother?" Preston asked him. "Why, did he not like board games?"

"It was more like he liked them a little too much." Brody sighed. "He was like, super competitive."

"Oh come on, we all get a little competitive when we play games." Hayley giggled. "Cal pouted for the rest of the day the first time I beat him at Connect Four...and we just do NOT mention the Battleships incident."

"Oh no!" Calvin agreed. "Not ever!"

"Well, he wasn't just competitive he took things a little too far." Brody told them. "When he beat me at Monopoly and I couldn't pay him, he foreclosed on my bedroom."

"You're kidding right?" Preston started to snigger. Brody shook his head.

"I'm not kidding, I wish I was! He tried to make me sleep in the yard!" Brody continued his story. "After that dad threw out all of our board games and told us that we weren't getting any more."

"Wow! That is...pretty intense!" Sarah admitted. "Um...I vote that we should let Brody be the one to turn the hour glass. It sounds like his childhood's been pretty deprived."

"Thanks Sarah." Brody said as he reached for the hour glass. "Is everybody ready?"

They all nodded their heads at which Brody turned over the hour glass. The lights suddenly dipped even further, and they could swear they saw an actual flash of thunder. Whisps of white smoke flew out of a glowing orb that appeared above the castle. They all looked around in confusion and panic.

"Uh...Preston, I know you wanted to set the mood but this is taking it a little too far." Sarah said in a panic.

"This isn't me!" Preston called out.

"Preston, are you sure you didn't activate some kind of spell by accident?" Hayley asked him. "We won't be mad, but it wouldn't be the first time."

"I'm telling you this isn't me!" Preston protested again. They all heard an evil laugh as the doors slammed shut and locked themselves, before the smoke all flew back into the glowing white orb. They watched as it started to shift, and they could see a figure start to appear out of the clouds in it.

"Welcome Rangers! Looks like you're about to play Grave Robber!" Cosmo said as he appeared in the orb. "You've all just become part of my Nightmare Galaxy Warriors Special!"

"Cosmo!" Brody snapped as he realised that this whole thing had been a set-up. Whatever his game was, it was clearly a trap of some description. "You set this up!"

"My my, he's a quick one, obviously the brains of the outfit." Cosmo taunted him. "Welcome to my Galaxy Warriors special. You're now all trapped in my game, Grave Robber!"

"I don't think so!" Brody answered him, reaching for his communicator. "Levi, come in Levi, over!"

"I'm sorry, but outside help is strictly against the rules. This is MY game now! You play by MY rules!" Cosmo told him. "I suggest you roll the dice and enter the graveyard, where you'll face...well...telling you ahead of time would only spoil the surprise now wouldn't it?"

"We're not playing your game Cosmo!" Preston yelled.

"Fine by me! But by turning the hour glass, you all activated the spell! You now have until the sands run out to get through the graveyard and out the other side, otherwise you all perish! So you can sit and wait on that if you want, or roll the dice and take your chances with the haunted graveyard!"

"Haunted?" Calvin asked. "What does he mean 'haunted'?"

"Guys, I can't get out of my seat." Sarah said in panic as she gripped the sides of her chair and started to struggle, trying to stand up. All the others did likewise, but found that an unseen force was holding them in place.

"Sorry Rangers, everyone stays until the game is over, one way or another!" Cosmo told them. "So, what you do next is up to you. Play or don't, it really makes no difference to me."

Sarah took a deep breath and snatched up the die. Calvin looked to her in surprise.

"Whoa, we're not seriously doing this are we?" He asked her.

"I don't really see much of a choice." Sarah answered. They looked to Brody, who thought about it for a moment.

"Fighting an enemy on his terms is rarely good idea." He conceded. "But we can't leave, we can't call for help, and we'll die when the time runs out anyway. I don't really see another option. This time, it looks like we have to play it his way."

"OK Sarah." Preston told her. "Just...try to roll high. The sooner we're out of here the better."

Sarah took a deep breath and rolled the dice. As it finally came to rest, she was disappointed.

"Sorry guys." She muttered. "It's only a four."

Their game piece moved four spaces along the board, at which it stopped by one of the grave stones. They all looked on it as the grave opened up. In a puff of smoke, the room melted away and they all disappeared into the game.

 **A/N:** I'm re-working the Halloween episode basically because I liked it. I know it's nowhere near Halloween now and that's why I decided to re-work it, but frankly it's one of the best holiday episodes I've seen in a LONG time and I really wanted a chance to use it in the series. Hope you enjoy it!


	17. The Graveyard Shift

Sarah, Calvin, Hayley, Preston and Brody all appeared in a flash of light, completely disorientated. They didn't know where they were, but they knew they weren't in the Shop Class any longer. For one thing, they were outdoors, wherever they were, and it was broad daylight.

"What happened?" Hayley asked. "Where are we?"

"It...kind of looks like the dockyards." Preston said as he looked around. His dad had a business at the docks, owning most of the waterfront. It was convenient since a lot of his other businesses in the city took in deliveries and it gave them a very quick and easy way to get those deliveries in at a fraction of the price of using other means. His dad had brought him down here a couple of times while he sorted out business, though mainly Preston would just remain in the limo. "How did we get here? I thought we couldn't leave?"

"Guys, when did we morph?" Sarah asked, looking down and realising she was in her Ranger suit. The others all quickly realised the same thing.

"Does that sound like...a chainsaw?" Brody asked.

"LOOK OUT!" Calvin yelled, causing the team to scatter as an energy arc sliced through the area, causing destruction on its path through them. The Rangers all looked up to see an all-too familiar face. He was surrounded by a legion of kudabots.

"Is that Ripperat?" Calvin asked. "We've already beaten this guy!"

"Wait...we must still be in the game." Brody surmised. "Think about it, we're in a graveyard right?"

"Well, yeah?" Sarah asked.

"And Cosmo DID describe it as haunted right?" Brody carried on as they all sought cover from Ripperat's attacks.

"You mean to tell me this guy is a ghost?" Preston asked.

"Maybe...something like that." Brody said, unclear on how best to think of it. "What if the spell on this board game means every grave we land on is the grave of a monster we've already beaten? What if landing on a grave means we have to fight that monster again?"

"We've beaten a LOT of monsters!" Preston grumbled. "This could be a long night."

"Not that long." Sarah reminded them. "We've only got until the hour glass runs out, remember?"

"Right, so we have to take these guys out fast." Brody answered. "You guys cover me!"

They all broke cover and ran at their enemies, Brody heading for Ripperat while the others tried to keep the kudabots busy. They quickly found themselves in difficulty though, it seemed like for some reason these opponents were a lot stronger than they were used to. Brody tried to get to Ripperat with a Steel Slash, but he was parried, and took a hard hit in return. He barely managed to scramble back into cover, being quickly joined by the others as they tried to regroup.

"Man these guys are tougher than I remember." Brody commented.

"Maybe if they fought this well the first time, they wouldn't be dead." Hayley suggested.

"They've got us surrounded." Brody grumbled. "This isn't good."

"Guys, the longer it takes to beat this guy the longer it takes us to get around the board." Sarah reminded them. "We still have to make it around the rest of the board!"

"If someone's got a plan then I'm all ears." Calvin said as he slapped a Power Star into his sword. "Until then...GOONGALA!"

"With that, they all broke cover, rushing back out to the attack again. In the absence of a better plan, it looked like they were going to have to resort to hit and run tactics, taking the enemy a few at a time between breaks in cover.

Up on the Warrior Dome, Cosmo was whipping up the crowd into a frenzy with his new idea, while Galvanax, Ripcon and Odious watched on from the Champion's quarters.

"Well...it is imaginative I'll give him that." Odious commented.

"He's using a bunch of failures who have already lost to the Rangers?" Galvanax growled. "What's he thinking?"

"It's disgusting is what it is!" Ripcon spat distastefully, seeing the spirits of fallen warriors called up to fight once more. "Once something dies it's meant to rest in peace! This kind of perversion is just sick!"

"It seems to be working though, every second the Rangers fight, they lose precious time and when the timer runs out, they perish." Odious said, sounding impressed with Cosmo's trap. "Then we just have to go down there and pick the Power Stars up from their cold, dead corpses."

"I might have known you'd like a plan that means you don't have to confront the Rangers." Ripcon stated.

"Tell me, how is your search for that 'traitor' going Ripcon." She asked, making the air-quotes for emphasis. Ripcon knew exactly what she was doing; she was once again trying to sow the seeds of doubt, trying to get others to believe that Ripcon was the traitor that had let the Gold Ranger onto the ship. Ripcon went for his sword, but quickly found Galvanax's naginata at his throat.

"I grow weary of all this bickering." Galvanax told him. "Go watch the show somewhere else."

"What?" Ripcon demanded. "But Champ..."

"I don't care where you go or what you do! Just get out of my sight!" Galvanax roared. "NOW!"

Ripcon released his grip on the hilt of his sword and started to leave. He didn't want to anger Galvanax any further. He doubted that Galvanax truly believed he was the traitor, if he did, he was sure he'd already have insisted Cosmo set up the grudge match. However, it was clear that Galvanax was losing patience, and in his eyes, Odious was far more valuable than he was. With a respectful bow, he just left the champion's quarters, heading out into the hall.

"Let them play their games." Ripcon stated angrily. "I've got better things to do!"

Back in the game, the Rangers were forced back by a concentrated barrage of weapons fire. They sheltered in a warehouse as Ripperat and his comrades started their advance.

"Guys, his isn't going well." Brody commented. "We can't afford to waste any more time on this guy!"

"Brody, I think I have an idea." Preston told him. "Brody, you come with me! The rest of you just keep their attention over here!"

"Preston, where the hell are you going?" Calvin asked as Preston and Brody set off smoke bombs, covering their escape.

"You heard them; we need to keep their fire concentrated over here." Hayley said, bringing out her morpher in bow mode, laying down some fire.

"Somehow I doubt that'll be a problem." Sarah answered as he and Calvin followed suit.

"No, the trick is surviving until they do whatever it is they plan to do!" Calvin added, taking down a few of the kudabots with energy arrows.

"Ninja Strike, Steel SLASH!" They heard two voices call out as Preston and Brody plunged in through a skylight, right on top of Ripperat. Their swords went straight through him, at which he exploded. As soon as he was destroyed, all the kudabots that were with him also disappeared. The others broke cover, coming over, cheering as they put their swords away.

"Way to go guys!" Sarah congratulated them. "How did you do that?"

Preston leant on one of the crates, pointing to the logo on the side. It was labelled "Tien Imports."

"This is one of my dad's warehouses, I recognised it." Preston told them. "So I knew where the back door was."

"Now that's what I call ninja." Calvin commented as they were all bathed in a bright glow. As the light dissipated, they all appeared back in the Shop Class. They all stared at the orb, where Cosmo was still watching them as the game progressed.

"You got lucky that time, but you better get a move on. Time waits for no Ranger." Cosmo taunted them. "Roll the dice and see what's in store for you next!"

"Alright, we need to hope for a good roll." Hayley said, picking up the dice. She blew on it for luck, before tumbling it across the board.

"Six, that's not bad." Calvin said. Although they were hoping for a higher number, they all knew that this was about what they could expect. A normal dice had three pairs of faces, and the opposite faces added up to 7. 1+6, 2+5 and 3+4. This meant the average dice roll was 3.5. On a ten sided dice, the opposite faces added to 11 and there were five pairs of faces so the average score would be 5.5. 6 wasn't a LOW score, but after a low start, they were hoping for some larger rolls, particularly if they had to face a monster inside each grave they landed on.

Hayley moved the game piece six spaces forward, at which they landed on a grave. They all stared into the grave, seeing the smoke forming. Sarah thought she recognised something and hastily grabbed the radio before they were all sucked into the next challenge.

"We're in!" Sarah said as they appeared outside what looked like the local community pool. She knelt down on the ground and de-morphed, pulling a small leather case out of her pocket. "We don't have long. He should be around here somewhere."

"Who?" Brody asked.

"Sarah, what are you doing?" Calvin asked her.

"Hacktrack, I saw him in the smoke before we were sucked into the grave." Sarah told them as she opened the case, revealing a bunch of small screwdrivers and other electrical tools. "You know, the creep who absorbed my cloning tech?"

"You...carry a toolkit around with you?" Hayley asked.

"Some girls carry a manicure set, some carry make-up, I carry an electrical repair kit." She answered with a shrug. "This should give me time to turn this into a frequency jammer. If I can get this, we can shut Hacktrack down." They heard a cackling laugh from a little way off.

"Rangers!" Hackrack announced as he arrived. "I don't have to beat you; I just have to run out the clock! If you want to fight me, you're going to have to catch me first!"

With that, he leapt into the air and activated his jets. They remembered he had the power of flight, which would only make keeping up with him harder.

"Mega Morph Cycles, rev up!" Brody called out as he, Hayley, Calvin and Preston activated their bikes. "Sarah, work on that frequency jammer. Join us if you get it working. Until then, we'll try to do this the old fashioned way."

"Sounds like a plan." Sarah answered as they raced off. "Alright now Sarah, think!"

In the school, Levi went to the snack machine for something to eat, but he was finding the options available somewhat less than inspiring. He sighed as he looked at it, regretting skipping lunch. The cafeteria staff had long since gone home, and he was sure they'd have locked up the kitchen by now.

"That's what I get for skipping lunch." He muttered. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked around.

"Hello, I couldn't help noticing the long face. I'm not surprised if you're relying on that machine for your dinner." The lady before him said. "Hi, I'm Mrs Finch, the maths teacher."

"Levi Weston, music." He replied, shaking his hand. It was usually pretty pointless introducing himself since pretty much everyone knew his name anyway, but to his surprise Mrs Finch didn't actually say anything about it. In fact, looking at her, he could hardly remember seeing her at all. She had certainly been around in the school and in the classroom, but while others seemed to magically swerve and head towards him at speed whenever they saw him, she seemed to have almost ignored him, or more accurately not gone out of her way to approach him before now.

"Well, I was just going to microwave myself some dinner, I don't mind sharing." She told him, showing him a Tupperware.

"Really? You don't mind?" He asked her.

"I always make way too much anyway. I'm still used to cooking for two." She answered.

"Cooking for two?" He asked. It was then he remembered she had introduced herself as MRS Finch. "Sorry for your loss..."

"Hmm?" She asked.

"Your husband." He surmised.

"Oh, I'm not." She told him. This took Levi more than a little bit by surprise. "Oh, because of the name...no, I just haven't gotten around to changing my name on all my documents and suchlike yet. It's so many forms and so many phone calls and who has time for all that with a teacher's workload right?"

"So your husband...didn't die?" He asked.

"Oh no, he just hit his mid-life crisis and ran off with the twenty-year-old caddy at his golf course." She told him.

"Yikes...I'm sorry to hear that." He said, sucking his teeth.

"Oh, I'm not, she's welcome to him." Mrs Finch said, waving it off. "It was three years ago, I'm over it. That still doesn't meant to say I shed any tears when I heard wife number two was taking that sports car of his in the divorce."

"Uh...yeah...I guess you wouldn't." He answered. "So, what have you made?"

"Oh, nothing special, it's just spaghetti carbonara." She told him. Levi just patted his stomach. "All anyone seems to want to give me is Tex Mex, and frankly sometimes it's nice to eat something a little different."

"Why would they give you Tex Mex?" She asked him.

"Because I'm Levi Weston?" He asked. She just stared at him. "They see the hat, hear the accent and hear the music and think all I want to eat is pork and beans."

"Oh...that's right you're a singer aren't you?" She asked, in a completely off-hand way that took Levi by surprise. She shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry, I'm not overly familiar with that genre. I've never been a Country and Western fan. I'm more of an Eminem girl myself."

"Right...of course." Levi said, almost smiling.

"Well, I'll just go and heat this up." She told him. "You bring that marking of yours; I find I work faster while I'm eating. I prefer to work through dinner don't you?"

"Uh...yeah, I'll grab it and be right there." Levi said as he watched her go. He went back to his pile of work and picked it up, before looking a little puzzled. It wasn't often he met someone who really didn't know who he was, but it seemed beyond being the new teacher Mrs Finch was barely aware of who he was other than that. Almost like she had only heard it from others. It was a nice novelty. Picking up his work, he went to the teacher's lounge to join her.

Back in the game, Sarah was working hard on her device, her fingers working deftly with the tiny components as she put the device together.

"Now just put this here and that should just about...do it!" She said, clicking the battery into place, before putting the casing back together. She got onto her Ninja-Comm. "Guys, I've finished the device!"

"Good, because this guy is really slippery!" Calvin complained as they used their bikes to jump from rooftop to rooftop, chasing Hacktrack while trying to draw a bead on him with their laser cannons. "We can't get a hit on him."

"My device should work within thirty feet, try and drive him back towards me." Sarah told them.

"We're almost there now." Brody told her, aiming his blast, instead of for Hacktrack, to his side, trying to drive him the right way with the blast from the building. The one thing in their favour in here was they knew there would be no civilian casualties as they weren't in the real world. "Guys, try and funnel him towards Sarah!"

"You got it." Hayley added, firing blasts his way. "Preston, he's coming your way now!"

"OK Sarah, he's swerving away from me, Calvin, try to drive him down." Preston told him.

"I'm on it." Calvin said, leaping off a rooftop, firing his laser cannons over Hacktrack's head, causing him to swoop downwards away from him. "Sarah, he's heading your way and he's coming in hot!"

"I see him!" Sarah said as she gripped her signal jammer tightly. "Alright Hacktrack, just a little closer and...NOW!"

She hit the button, activating the signal jammer. Hacktrack started to spark as his systems went into shutdown. Sarah had to dive for cover as he hit the ground hard and skidded along the concrete, sending sparks and debris flying. Since the battle hadn't ended, Sarah could only assume that the shutdown wouldn't last long, and they needed to finish him. She morphed, putting an Element Star into her Ninja Sword.

"This is for hacking my tech!" She yelled. "Ninja Steel, Final STRIKE!"

She brought her sword down, smashing Hacktrack into oblivion, at which he exploded. The other Rangers came to her side and recalled their bikes.

"Sarah, that was amazing!" Calvin complimented her.

"You are seriously awesome!" Preston said, putting his arm around her.

"Oh...I know." She said, blushing a little at all the compliments. "But it's always nice to hear."

With that, they were all bathed in light and once more found themselves back in the Shop Class. Cosmo was in the glowing orb, but he didn't seem to be too upset at the fact the Rangers had now defeated two of his monsters.

"Don't celebrate just yet, time is ticking away!" He reminded them, bringing their attention to the hour glass.

"We better hurry." Preston gulped as he picked up the dice. He shook his hand for a moment, before releasing the dice, which slid across the board. The number 0, indicating 10 was at the top.

"YES! Way to go Presto!" Calvin congratulated the Blue Ranger as he moved the piece. The grave opened, and the Rangers all looked into the smoke. Preston could vaguely make out a face he wished he would never see again, Slowgre. In a flash of bright light, the Rangers disappeared.


	18. Misfortune Favours The Bold

The Rangers appeared, this time seemingly on the steps just outside the school. They all saw Slowgre and some kudabots a short way from them, waiting for them to appear.

"Oh no, not this guy again!" Sarah complained. "He's the one with that icky slow-motion mist!"

"That's right; he really put the brakes on us with that mist." Calvin recalled. "If he catches us with it, he'll run out all our time!"

"We have to avoid that slow mist!" Preston added.

"Well the best way to do that is take him out before he has a chance to use it!" Brody answered as he prepared his sword. He saw Slowgre preparing to use his mist and set off a smoke bomb. By the time the smoke cleared, the Rangers were nowhere in sight.

"What? Where'd they go?" He complained.

"You'd better find them Slowgre!" Cosmo said, his face appearing in the sky above him. "I told you, I need you to drain what little time they have left, now look for them!"

"Alright, all of you, spread out and look for them!" Slowgre instructed his back-up. "They can't have gone far!"

"You're right about that much!" Brody called out, rushing through them, taking down a few kudabots on his way with his sword as he disappeared again. "Missed me!"

"What? Where...where did he go now?" Slowgre complained.

"Ninja Blaster, Whiplash!" Hayley called out, firing her blaster from on top of the school building. The blast penetrated about a dozen of them, destroying them utterly. She ducked back out of sight just as Slowgre rounded on her, but by the time he was ready to unleash his mist, she was already gone.

"Come on out and fight you cowards!" Slowgre whined as he flailed around, trying to catch sight of the Rangers. By now it was clear what their strategy was, they were keeping out of sight, only revealing themselves for quick attacks to whittle down their numbers so they could keep out of Slowgre's mist. If he couldn't find them, his most powerful weapon against them was all but useless. "Fight fair you cowardly Rangers!"

"Yeah, because your mist is SO fair!" Calvin replied as he rushed through, taking down a few of the kudabots with his claw attack. Once again he had disappeared before Slowgre could get a fix on him.

"You Rangers are really getting on my nerves!" He yelled.

"Oh pipe down!" Sarah announced, appearing around a corner with her Energy Bow, powering up a Power Star. "Energy Bow, Final STRIKE!"

Unfortunately, although her aim was right on target, one of the kudabots stepped in the way before it hit. Sarah cursed her luck as she withdrew back into cover before she could be hit in response.

"Do I look like a cat?" He screamed. "I'm a TURTLE! Stop playing cat-and-mouse!"

"Just as long as you stop playing the slow game!" Preston said as he ran in to attack Slowgre. Unfortunately as Slowgre turned to avoid the attack, Preston's powered up blade hit one of the slow-mist's tanks, meaning he got a huge cloud of it full in the face.

"Ohhhhhh nooooooo!" Preston said as he slowed down to a crawl. The others could see that he was in trouble. Slowgre, completely unaffected by his own mist, grabbed Preston and started to hammer into his chest with hard punches. Preston was far too slow to even try to block them.

"PRESTON!" Sarah screamed as she, Calvin and Hayley appeared, forgetting all about their strategy and rushing him to try and free Preston. Slowgre smiled as he realised the battle had turned in his favour. He threw Preston straight at them, forcing them to assemble to catch him, giving him time to link up his second tank.

"Well this party's been fun up until now." Slowgre taunted them. "Now it's time for a SLOW DANCE!"

He blasted them all, bringing them right down to a rate where they were barely moving. They could all perceive the world at normal speed, they were able to tell how much trouble they were in, but now, they were moving so slowly, even something as simple as blinking took minutes.

"This is going to be fun!" Slowgre called out as he watched Preston react first, launching into a flying kick. However, he was moving so slowly that he could do pretty much everything short of go for a tea break before the attack hit. Instead, he went to a street sign, snapping it off, and returning in time for the world's slowest slow ball to enter his sights. Preston started screaming as he could see what was coming next.

"Batter up!" Slowgre called out as he swung for the fences, sending Preston flying straight for the others. They were unable to do anything but stand in place as Preston flew into them. Slowgre started to dance in celebration.

"HA! Strike!" He called out.

"Thaaaaattttsssss...boooowwwwlllliiinnnngggg." Sarah finally managed to get out.

"Thhhhheeeeyyyyy'rrrrrreeeee diiiiifffffeeeerrreeeennnnntttt gaaaaaammmmmeeeeesssss." Calvin added.

"Oh what do I care?" Slowgre answered, standing over them. "All I need to do is figure out which one of you to destroy first! I think...Blue! You destroyed me last time, only fair I return the favour!"

"Hey, forgetting someone?" Brody called out as he appeared, almost from nowhere, leaping off the school with his Ninja Sword powered up. Steel SLASH!"

However, before he could connect, the Rangers were all engulfed in a bright, white light, and appeared back in the Shop Class.

"AHA! SO much for the mighty Rangers, you lost that round!" Cosmo cackled in delight. Brody furrowed his brows.

"Hey, we didn't lose, I was attacking!" Brody snapped at him.

"Yeah, if you'd let that go on, Slowgre was about to get a permanent centre parting!" Calvin agreed.

"Well it's MY game and I say you LOST!" Cosmo shot back. "Besides, you had to think there would be penalties for cheating."

"Cheating?" Sarah asked. "We're playing your game just like you wanted us to! We didn't cheat!"

"Oh really? Well why don't you ask the Blue Ranger?" Cosmo asked. "Don't think I didn't notice you slide that dice."

The others all looked at him. Preston looked a little sheepish as they stared at him.

"Preston?" Sarah asked.

"I'm sorry guys, but...I wanted to make sure we rolled high so we could get through the game faster!" Preston admitted. "So I put the ten to the top and then slid it across the board instead of rolling it."

"It's too late to worry about it now." Brody grumbled. "Alright Cosmo, so what's the penalty?"

"Well, you forfeited that round because of the illegal roll, as for losing the battle, with that comes one of these." Cosmo told him, pulling a card out of a deck on a table next to him. "With every loss, you get a misfortune card. Each misfortune card will alter the next battle slightly to make it a little more challenging."

"Yeah, because up until now things have been easy." Hayley grumbled. "Alright, what's the misfortune card?"

"The next battle will be a solo battle." Cosmo informed them. "Only one of you will be permitted to fight in the next battle. Now, if I were you I'd make my next move. Tick tock!"

"Alright, we don't have a choice." Calvin said, picking up the dice.

"OK, remember to roll it this time." Hayley told him. "We don't need Cosmo changing any more rules on us."

Calvin blew on the dice for luck, and then rolled the dice. He pumped a fist in the air.

"NINE! YES!" He called out, moving the game piece.

"There are only forty squares on the board; this'll take us up to 29!" Sarah said excitedly. "If we roll well, we can finish the game in two more rolls!"

Calvin finished moving the game piece, landing on the grave. It opened up, and the smoke started to swirl. He rolled his eyes as he saw who was on the other side.

"Spinferno." He complained. "I remember this hot-head. He's the one that almost flash-roasted Victor and Monty."

"Don't worry, I'll take him." Brody stated. They heard a buzzer coming from the glowing orb.

"I'm sorry, but that won't be happening. I'm afraid the one who rolled the dice is the one who has to fight." Cosmo informed him. "And since Calvin was the one who rolled, I'm afraid he's the one that has to deal with Spinferno!"

The Rangers all started to shout out complaints, but Cosmo was hearing none of it. He just looked to the hour glass.

"Well, you can argue all you want; it's your time to waste." He reminded them. Calvin just took a deep breath, before allowing himself to be teleported into the game. Brody looked to the others as they all waited for Calvin to return.

"This isn't fair; he's just making up the rules as he goes along now." Sarah protested. "How can we win a game when he keeps changing the rules?"

"What are the rules anyway?" Hayley asked. She looked to Preston, who was sitting next to the box. He just looked at the card.

"It only says to roll the dice and move through the graveyard." Preston responded sadly. "It doesn't say what any of the other rules are."

"So he could change the rules any time he likes because we don't even know what the rules ARE?" Hayley protested. "That sucks!"

"Well, what can we do about it?" Brody asked her honestly. "It's Cosmo's game; we're just stuck in it."

Hayley just sighed and looked to the glowing orb as it shifted, allowing them a view of the battle Calvin had to face.

"Be careful Cal." She whispered.

Back at the school, Levi was just finishing up his dinner with Mrs Finch. He couldn't help laughing as she told him all about her first week teaching.

"You're kidding right?" He asked. "They superglued you to your chair?"

"That's what you call hazing." She chuckled, remembering it. "I did learn an important lesson though, wear thicker clothing. That glue soaked through my skirt all the way to my skin."

"Ouch!" Levi said with an uncomfortable look on his face. "That can't have been good!"

"Fortunately the Shop Teacher had some glue solvent in his classroom." She replied. "Believe me, if the kids aren't trying to kill you, drive you insane or run you out of town, it just means they aren't paying attention to you at all."

"Well, I don't need to worry about getting the kids to pay attention." Levi answered. "I just need to make sure what they're paying attention to is the lesson in hand."

"That's always good." She answered. "Anyway, I'm about done here. Are you heading home?"

"Uh...I've still got a little bit to work on here." Levi told her.

"Well, don't stay too late, just remember, tomorrow is another battle." She said in a cheerful way, packing up her stuff. "Don't worry Levi, if the worst thing you have to worry about in your first week is a few stares, I have a feeling you'll be just fine. You know where my classroom is if you need a break."

"Thank you!" He called out as she left, smiling as he waved her off. Mick was walking past, heading for his class when he noticed Levi. He furrowed his brows as he noticed him.

"Levi, you're here." He commented.

"Well yeah, I'm still here." Levi commented. "I thought a singer's schedule was full. Man, I have a whole new respect for teachers. I will never know how they get all this done."

"I mean...you're here." Mick said again. Levi wasn't any clearer. "I thought you were with the guys."

"They were singing with me earlier, but they went off to play some old board game." Levi said with a shrug of the shoulders. "It didn't really interest me."

"You didn't go with them?" Mick asked him, sitting with Levi. The Gold Ranger just looked to Mick as he gave him that curious look that he sometimes got on his face when there was something about Earth that he didn't quite understand. Levi took a deep breath.

"Well, I don't really like board games." He answered. "It's no biggie."

"So let me get this straight, they sang with you because that's what you like to do, but you won't go and play board games with them because you don't like board games?" Mick asked him, looking confused. "Is that right?"

"Well...sort of." Levi responded, thinking about what Mick had just said. He couldn't help thinking about the emphasis Mick had put on the fact that they had sang with him earlier. It wasn't as though it was something they had suggested, they just wanted to hang out. It was Levi that suggested that they sing together. "But it sounds really selfish when you put it like that."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Mick answered, looking a little apologetic. "So...how would you like me to put it?"

Levi was about to answer, but the words wouldn't come to him. The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't really find a way to explain why he had chosen not to go with his friends after they were willing to do what he wanted that didn't paint him in a bad light. He looked to Mick, who instead of a confused expression just seemed to have a knowing look on his face. It was only then that Levi realised that Mick had just pulled what the others had told him about. He had a way of teaching lessons where he didn't really teach anything, but just subtly guided someone to think about their actions on their own. Mick had just caught him out, tricking him into realising that he had indeed just blown off his friends just because he couldn't be bothered putting himself out for an hour or so for a board game.

"OK, OK, I see what you're saying." Levi said with a smile. "Wow, I liked to think I was a stand-up guy. I never thought of myself as selfish, but I guess...I've been around people that let me get my way all the time so long I just never really thought about it."

"Where did the others go?" Mick asked him. "Maybe we can join in the next game?"

"They said they were heading for Shop Class." Levi told him, gathering up his work. "Come on Mick. I can finish this later."

Back in Shop Class, the Rangers all recoiled as they watched the end of the battle. There as a flash of light, and Calvin appeared in his seat next to them. His clothes were singed, and his hair was standing on end, a little darkened at the tips and still smoking. He had soot all over his face. He had a grumpy expression on his face.

"Well...the good news is I guess we can't die in these battles?" Preston offered weakly. Calvin just glared at him without saying a word, while Hayley wrapped her arms around him. Cosmo appeared in the glowing orb once more.

"Oh, so sorry Calvin, better luck next time." Cosmo teased him. "That does mean though that in your next round you have another misfortune card! Oh, and just to make things even more interesting, all battles within the last ten squares are gigantify battles!"

"What?" Sarah asked. "Now you really are just making it up as you go along!"

"Well, we can have a lengthy debate about how fair my rules are if you'd like." Cosmo shot back. "But from the looks of that hour glass I'd say you only have a few minutes left!"

"He's right." Brody groaned as he picked up the dice. "Come on, nice big roll."

The dice tumbled across the board, before coming to rest, showing a 7. The Rangers all perked up a little realising that this now meant once they were through this battle; they would be within four spaces of the end. One more decent roll and they would be out of the gate and out of the game for good.

"Alright, whatever's in there, we can deal with it." Brody told them. The grave opened, and in a flash of light, once more they disappeared from the room.

Outside of the Shop Class, Mick and Levi were almost at the door when they heard what sounded suspiciously like thunder, and saw a flash of light from under the door.

"Are you sure they're playing a board game in there?" Mick asked.

"I know board games can get pretty competitive, but I don't remember any that involve explosions." Levi commented as they went to the door. Mick tried to open it, but found the door to be locked.

"It's locked or it's stuck or something." Mick told him. Levi tried the door too, but when it wouldn't give, he rammed his shoulder into it. The door didn't budge.

"It won't budge." Levi told him. "Stand back!"

Levi took a short run up, and kicked the door as hard as he could, sending both of them spinning off their hinges. When they got inside, they could see the board, but no sign of the Rangers. There was a swirling, glowing orb floating above a castle on the board.

"Either Earth has way more intricate board games than we do back home or that isn't good." Mick commented.

"I don't think that's natural." Levi told him as he peered into the glowing orb. It started to shift, showing the Rangers appearing within the city. "I have a feeling this is Cosmo's doing."

"So...what do we do?" Mick asked him. Levi shrugged.

"I don't know." He answered. "But I'm open to suggestions."


	19. Game Changer

Brody, Preston, Sarah, Hayley and Calvin appeared on a city street this time, though on this occasion they were sure it wouldn't take them long to find their opponent. Cosmo had already warned them that this would be a gigantify round, and there weren't too many places a one hundred foot monster could hide.

"Alright, we already know what to expect. We need to call the Zords." Brody called out. They heard a massive roar, which chilled all of them as soon as they heard it. Calvin just gulped.

"Well that sounds familiar." He commented.

"Skullgator!" Preston called out as he pointed to the horizon. They could see the massive skeletal monster appearing a little way off. The Rangers all went for their Zord stars, clipping them into the Ninja Swords.

"Ninja Steel Megazord, combine!" Brody called out as they formed up the Megazord, powering up as they entered the cockpit. He grabbed the Ninja Master Blade. "Alright guys, we're on a short time frame, but we've done this before! Let's just keep calm and..."

"BRODY LOOK OUT!" Hayley yelled as they were blind-sided by a harsh attack. They all watched in confusion as the Robo-Rider Zord appeared seemingly from nowhere, hitting them with a flying punch which staggered them.

"The Robo-Rider Zord!" Calvin shot out. "But...Levi's not here, how can it...?"

Before he could say anything, it leapt up, hitting them with a flying kick, before flipping away and landing a short distance away. The Skullgator rushed them in the confusion, hitting them with its sword. Warning sirens started to sound.

"Damn it, they've already taken 20 percent of our power!" Sarah protested.

"I think we can safely say the first attack was no mistake." Brody commented. "Somehow Cosmo's got control of the Robo-Rider Zord."

"But how?" Preston asked. "I thought the he's already used his misfortune card."

"Ah, but I haven't Blue Ranger." Cosmo said as he appeared in the sky. "The gigantify rounds are just a part of the game, all the rounds in the last ten squares are gigantify battles. Your misfortune card allows me to call one of your Zords and control it myself! I chose the Robo-Rider Zord! Good luck facing your own weapons!"

The Rangers were rocked as the Robo-Rider Zord hit them with another attack, before making way for the Skullgator to come in with a massive bite attack. Calvin threw the right arm into its way, letting the Skullgator chew on that while they tried to grapple with it, struggling to get free.

Sparks flew up from their consoles as they started to alert them to the damage.

"I've saved the vital systems, but this thing has a seriously good dentist." Calvin commented. "In about five minutes we're going to lose the arm!"

"Not sure we have five minutes." Brody told them as the Robo-Rider Zord launched into the air, this time slamming both feet down on the Megazord's head, before flipping away. "I don't want to fight our own weapons, but we need to shut down the Robo-Rider Zord."

"We might be able to get control back if we had its Zord Star!" Sarah told him. "But without Levi here..."

"Then we have to do it the old-fashioned way." Brody answered. "I'll take the Robo Red Zord and take care of it."

"Whoa, you want to split up the Megazord?" Calvin complained.

"We have other Zords." Brody reminded him, throwing the Mega Master Blade to Sarah. "You take over."

"Alright, here we go." Sarah said, pulling out another Zord Star. "Astro Zord, Out of the Shadows!"

The Skullgator was forced to release its grip on them as it was hit with some laser blasts. Brody took the separation as the opportunity to disengage the Robo Red Zord.

"Astro Megazord Combine!" Sarah commanded as she took up the central command position. "Alright, time to break some bones!"

Outside the game, Mick and Levi were watching intently. They could see what was unfolding in the glowing orb hovering over the castle. Levi looked to his Zord Star.

"I can't believe my own Zord is attacking them!" He complained. "I never summoned it!"

"Your Zord Star still has ultimate control over the Robo-Rider Zord." Mick told him. "If we can get you in there, you can take back control of your Zord."

"Then I'm going in!" Levi told him, looking to the open grave next to the gaming piece. "It looks like this is the way..."

"Levi wait!" Mick called out. "There's no guarantee Cosmo is going to play fair!"

"I don't get it." Levi said, looking confused.

"Cosmo's in control of the game, but look at where the Rangers are! There' only four squares from the end. One decent dice roll and they've won!" Mick told him. "But look at the timer, it's almost out, if he can hold them in that battle, he can stop them from rolling the dice, if they don't roll..."

"They can't win." Levi said, thinking for a moment. "I think I know what to do."

He picked up the hour glass, at which Mick just looked at him.

"Wait, Levi, what are you doing?" Mick asked.

"He can cheat because he's in control of the game right?" Levi asked. "Well, what about someone who's not even playing?"

"I like it!" Mick responded.

"Alright, time to flip the board." Levi said, reaching for the grave, before disappearing in a flash of light.

Inside the game, the Rangers were struggling. Just like the rest of the game, the monsters they faced were a lot tougher than their living counterparts. Although they had faced Skullgators before, this one seemed to be giving them real difficulty.

"You want to chew on something?" Sarah asked as he jammed the Astro Ninja Megazord's blaster into its mouth. "Chew on THIS! Final STRIKE!"

She powered up the Zord, firing off the blast point blank, scattering shattered bone all over the city. The remains of the Skullgator fell to the ground and exploded, giving the Rangers a moment of celebration.

"Alright, nice one Sarah!" Calvin complimented her. They were rocked as they were hit by a blast from a little way off.

"What the hell was that?" Hayley asked as they checked on the damage report. They looked to see the Robo-Rider Zord holding the Bull-Rider Megazord's blaster, opening fire on them. "Shit, we still have to take that down!"

"I'm on it!" Brody told them, his Robo Red Zord beginning to grapple with it, trying to wrestle the blaster from him.

"But we beat the Skullgator, we won!" Preston complained. "Why hasn't the battle ended?"

"Guys, check that out!" Calvin said as another Skullgator appeared.

"He sent another one?" Hayley complained. "How is that fair?"

"I think that's the point." Sarah told her. "We're running out of time and we're almost at the end of the board. The best way for him to win is to keep us trapped in this battle. If we can't roll the dice, we can't move, and if we can't move..."

"Game over." Preston gulped as they prepared for the attack.

From out of nowhere though, there was a flash of light, and Levi dropped out of the sky, landing on a nearby skyscraper. He watched the chaos going on and could see that they were in deep trouble.

"It looks like I'm not yet too late." Levi commented, pulling out his Zord Star. He clipped it into his weapon. "Robo-Rider Zord...time you started playing nice!"

He was about to spin it, but before he could, Cosmo appeared before him, his face twisted in rage. He started waving his cane in anger.

"You can't be here, it's cheating!" He called out.

"Sorry, but it's only cheating if you're actually playing." Levi said with a smirk. "And since I was never playing the game..."

"He's right!" Cosmo shrieked as he finally saw this loophole in the spell. "But if you're not part of the game, then I can do THIS!"

He was about to draw his cane-sword, but Levi had already foreseen him taking matters into his own hands and fired a point-blank blast from his weapon, blasting Cosmo straight off the skyscraper. He watched him fall, but was not naive enough to believe that would be the last they'd see of Cosmo Royale. He spun the Zord Star in his weapon.

The Robo-Rider Zord faltered for a moment, before he could feel it coming back under his control. He looked to Brody as he leapt onto the Robo-Rider Zord.

"Alright Brody, The Robo-Rider is back on our side!" He called out. "And I brought along his buddy for the ride! Bull-Rider Megazord, power up!"

On the ground, Cosmo was just starting to come to, scrambling out of the rubble when he saw the Bull-Rider Megazord taking aim at his Skullgator. He could only watch on as it opened fire, obliterating it completely.

"NO!" He screamed as he tossed his hat to the ground in frustration, and started stomping his feet in a tantrum. "You can't win! This is MY game! I'm in control, you just CAN'T!"

"Hey, don't play the game if you can't take losing." Levi said as he and the Rangers formed up behind him. Cosmo turned to face them, completely livid.

"You're all nothing but a lousy bunch of rotten cheaters!" He whined. "But you're still in my game, and since you all cheated, I'm just going to keep you here! You can't finish the game and your time is running out! The last sands are running as we speak!"

"Oh, you mean this thing?" Levi said, revealing the hour glass. "You see, I decided to pick this up on my way in."

"Now...you be careful with that!" Cosmo said, looking decidedly worried as he saw Levi hold it. Levi dropped it, and saw the look on Cosmo's face as it fell, before catching it again. It was just a theory, but he had a feeling the hour glass was the key to it all.

"Wow, this must be pretty important." Levi said. "It'd be a shame if anything happened to it right?"

The other Rangers all pulled out their Ninja Blasters, putting in Power Stars to power them up.

"Wait, WAIT!" Cosmo shrieked, beginning to freak out, seeing his plan falling apart. "That's a valuable game piece!"

"That's exactly what I suspected!" Levi answered, throwing it up into the air. "You know what to do guys!"

"WHIPLASH!" They all called out, firing off the blasters. The hourglass was completely destroying it. Cosmo fell to his knees as he saw this.

"NO! My game is over!" He complained. "You...you ruined everything!"

"Sorry to ruin your fun." Levi said as the Rangers started to disappear. "On second thought...no...I'm really not! See you around Cosmo!"

The Rangers all appeared back in the Shop Class in a flash of light. Finally able to stand up, Calvin grinned brightly.

"Wow...I've never been so happy to be able to stand up!" He commented.

"Given the amount of time you spend on the couch...I can believe that." Hayley teased him.

"So, the game's over." Preston stated. "Cosmo's spell is broken, what happens now?"

"Well, I know the first thing we're doing." Sarah said, packing the game roughly away into the box. The others followed her as she took it into the Ranger Base, before throwing it straight into the forge. They watched on in satisfaction as it burned up, destroying the last remaining piece of the whole nightmare.

"Now that...that felt good!" Sarah commented. "Thanks Levi, you arrived just in time."

"Don't thank me." Levi said apologetically as he started to look a little uncomfortable. He looked to Mick, who just nodded in approval. "I should have been with you from the start. All of you agreed to sing with me and I never asked you if you even wanted to sing."

"We did." Sarah assured him.

"Well...that might be the case, but I didn't ask, and you all did what I wanted to do regardless of what you wanted to do because I'm your friend and I wanted to sing." Levi continued. "I like to think of myself as a normal guy, that I don't let who I am change me but I guess when it comes down to it, I'm a little used to getting my own way."

"Levi, you are not spoiled!" Preston interjected.

"That's the thing, I might not have thrown a tantrum or screamed or anything but in a way, I kind of am." Levi admitted. "On the road, people would do what I wanted, whatever I asked and pretty much no one ever said no. I guess in a way I'm kind of used to getting my own way even if I didn't realise it."

He looked to the forge and sighed.

"I ruined your fun by saying the game looked lame." He told them. "Hanging out with your friends, that's what makes something fun, even if it's something you don't normally like."

"Well you were right about one thing, that game was kind of lame." Sarah remarked as Preston put his arm around her.

"Well, maybe we can find one that's not so lame." Levi suggested. The others all held their hands up and backed away.

"Whoa, I think it'll be a LONG time before I want to play any more board games!" Brody commented.

"Yeah, I think I'll stick to building deadly weapons." Sarah said, nodding her head. "That is WAY safer!"

"Well if we're not going to play board games, how about we go and sing some more?" Hayley suggested. Levi just shook his head.

"Nah, we've done what I like doing. I think you've sang enough for one day." Levi answered. "How about we all go for ice-cream? It's my treat!"

"Now THOSE are some real magic words!" Sarah squealed as she gathered her belongings. The other Rangers all did the same, following Levi as he was heading out the door.

As he was about to leave though, something caught Preston's attention. He saw a small length of ribbon hanging from the edge of a work bench. He didn't know what it was from, but it was just hanging there. Picking it up, he inspected it. It was a wide piece of blue ribbon. He smiled as a thought came to him, before putting it away in his pocket, before picking up his jacket and going with them.


	20. Setting Traps

Levi was standing at the front of his class, forcing a smile as his students performed for him. It still hadn't been long since he had taken the job at the school, but he was already starting to find it surprisingly rewarding, if sometimes a little frustrating.

He had loved music for as long as he could remember, and he was always happy whenever fans would tell him that he inspired them to get into music too. As far as he was concerned, he had something of a duty as a musician to not only get his own work heard, but to inspire and help others on the path. While there were some acts, especially on the professional music scene that were worried that others would come and take the limelight from them, to Levi it was more important to get the next generation ready or eventually there would be no more music.

And listening to his class…oh BOY did the next generation need help!

He managed to keep smiling, although the din was almost painful as Victor performed what he was sure could be classed as an international war crime with an accordion. The rest of the class was varied in their reaction to the din. Monty, as usual, was beaming with pride, his rose-tinted glasses firmly in place. Some kids were politely listening, looking less than impressed, while some were not hiding in any way the pain they were in, clamping their hands over their ears and looking to be in genuine agony as he played. As he finished up, he beamed with glee and looked to Levi.

"Well teach? What do you think?" Victor asked him. Levi just blinked as he tried to think of a way to say something constructive. There weren't many nice ways to say that Victor was as likely to become an accordion player as he was to become an Astronaut! Still, a part of his job was a way to try and bring the best out in his students.

"Well…it was…interesting." Levi said, taking his time over it. "OK, um…how long have you been playing the accordion?"

"Two weeks! I know, it's hard to believe right?" Victor asked with no hint of irony. Levi was almost relieved when Victor said this. If it was something he had been doing for a while, then it could be a hopeless case, but since he had only just started, he could always suggest exercises he could try, or maybe convince him to try a less challenging instrument.

"Well Victor…" He began, but he was interrupted as Tom came into the class. Everyone just looked around at him.

"Should we evacuate?" Tom asked him. "I thought I heard the fire alarm, but I don't see anyone leaving."

The class all started to laugh at Victor's expense. Even the Rangers found it hard not to snigger a little as his face turned bright-red and he threw the instrument down in a huff.

"What do I care what you all think? Music is stupid anyway!" Victor snapped angrily. He was a fortunate person, one with many gifts, but it was becoming clear that music was simply not one of them. His legendarily awful dancing was indicative of the fact he had real problems with rhythm, and as far as Levi could tell, he was also having some difficulty with tone as well. Victor did not like being the butt of jokes in the slightest. He was the kind of person that was used to picking things up quickly. He was only on the basketball team a month before he was the lead scorer, his records in everything from cross-country running to archery had sat comfortably now for a couple of years, and his academic scores, as Sarah now knew, were respectably high, and all well-earned. He didn't like to struggle, and he didn't know how to handle it when he was mocked for something he wasn't good at. "Who ever made any real money playing music anyway?"

"Settle down class, settle down." Levi said, trying to calm the situation as other class members started to bombard him with names of famous musicians that had earned vast fortunes from their craft.

"Yeah, well…I don't care! You're all just jealous because I'm going to be somebody in this town!" Victor whined petulantly at them. "Monty and I have just been taken on by Mr Tien as interns!"

"Dude, you do know an intern is just an unpaid gopher right?" One of them laughed. "You'll be a glorified errand boy and not even get paid!"

"You'll all see!" Victor said as he flailed his arms and stormed out of the room. "You'll all be sorry you made fun of me!"

Monty went with him, but Levi didn't try to stop them. He figured the damage was done and trying to get them to stay where the kids were mocking them would only lead to more trouble. He sighed and looked to Tom.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"Um…there was just some stuff I wanted to give you from corporate…"

"I'm in class." Levi told him, taking the documents from his brother.

"Sorry." Tom answered, before leaving. The class laughed, but Levi just tried to settle them down.

"Now, that's not real nice now is it?" Levi asked them. "How would you feel if people laughed while you were trying something new?"

"Who cares, it's just Victor." One of the students scoffed. "He lords it over the rest of us all the time, he's an asshole!"

"Now hang on a minute…"

"No, seriously he is!" One of the others chimed in. "He's always so smug about all his trophies and all his awards…he's always calling everyone else losers."

"Yeah, he would never let anyone live it down if they stunk like he did!" One of the girls said. "Hayley, remember when he beat you at tennis? He wore that stupid t-shirt of his for a fortnight!"

"Don't remind me." Hayley said, clearly seething. As this went on though, with Levi trying to control the class, Sarah was a little surprised by something. Victor always was a bit much, and was always pretty full of himself, but listening to this, she was quickly realising something she hadn't before. Victor wasn't the popular guy he thought he was. In fact, listening to some of the creative suggestions as to what people would like to see happen to him, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say…he was hated. It felt odd, considering on her first day she had wondered how any kid could be fooled by his act, and now…now she was wondering what anyone could do short of mass murder to earn this kind of ire.

"Look, whatever your feelings, this is my class and in it, you'll be respectful when others are trying their best. If that's too much to handle, the door's just over there." Levi told them, putting his foot down, pointing to the door. "Do we understand each other?"

The class fell silent. Satisfied that he had made his point, Levi decided to carry on with his lessons.

"Brody, I see you brought a guitar. You wouldn't be trying to suck up to the teacher now would you?" Levi teased him. Brody just shook his head.

"No, my dad used to play when I was a kid." Brody told him. "He showed me a few things."

"Great, then let's hear it." Levi told him. "And just everyone remember what I said about respect, alright? No one is good at something the first time out. I can tell you there was more than one club I was thrown out of in the early days. Alright Brody, let's hear what you've got."

Brody went over to a chair next to Levi and sat down, before starting to tune his guitar.

Up on the Warrior Dome, Ripcon was trawling through the streets, looking for a monster. Cosmo's latest show had been a ratings success, pulling in almost half as many viewers over and above his usual broadcasts as normal, despite his overall failure. That Cosmo had sought to sully his hands himself and actually get involved in the show was unprecedented. Odious, Ripcon and Galvanax had all taunted him about the fact that his plan was ultimately unsuccessful, and although he had maintained his chipper demeanour and outlook, constantly touting the fact that by using a spell that resurrected dead monsters his plan had brought in those impressive figures while effectively costing the show virtually nothing, he was still showing signs of temper tantrums any time someone pointed out he lost a game he literally made the rules of.

Ripcon wasn't thinking about that though, all he was thinking about was his next move. He was still feeling the pressure and feeling the burning gaze on him all the time. Although he so far hadn't seen or noticed anything, his instinct and senses pricked up at times, and he was convinced he was being watched. While the thought of him being a traitor, the very idea of him being the one that had brought the Gold Ranger was utterly ridiculous, he was well aware of how strongly Odious was pushing the rumours and suggestion that he was the traitor and that was why his investigation bore no fruit. By now, paranoia was setting in, and he was very mindful of the fact that Odious could be devious and convincing. It was not outside the realms of possibility that someone believed her and he was being watched.

He was looking for a win, something big, a gesture that he could bring to prove once and for all that he was only concerned with proving his worth. He didn't have it in him to be devious, such games and deception were the realm of cowards, lawyers and politicians.

He already had the will and the motivation for his chosen targets. He had always wanted to destroy the Red Ranger. He had wanted to put the little brat out of his misery on the day Galvanax had him kidnapped, but for some reason the Champion wanted him kept as a pet, a slave. The fact that now the Red Ranger stood against them and had handed them some humiliating defeats, including the loss of his own horn was more than reason enough for him to want to go to Earth and dismember him in front of an audience.

The Gold Ranger too had handed him an embarrassing defeat. In the Gold Ranger's instance, he still maintained it didn't count because Cosmo had pulled him out of the battle before it was over, but that didn't mean it didn't still remain as a stain on his win/loss record. He also held the key to his investigation. So far, other than the traitor, the Gold Ranger was the only one who knew who the traitor was. Nothing would satisfy him more than dragging him, beaten and bloody onto the stage, only for him to point his finger straight at Odious for all to see. Perhaps Galvanax would even allow Ripcon to perform the execution himself.

Right now, he was looking for a monster, but instead of his usual haunts, the gyms and the dojos, he was trudging ankle-deep in waste and foulness that disgusted him in The Sump. Cosmo constantly kept him off the show, 'preserving' him for a more profitable end as he put it, but Cosmo wasn't the only one that could come up with clever plans. Ripcon had been allowed to help on some occasions when their latest monster proved not up to the task. No, this time he wasn't looking for a warrior. This time, he was looking for someone that would fail so spectacularly, they would be forced to send him to help. He was looking for a joke, and to Ripcon, there was nowhere better to find a pathetic joke of a being than in the very cesspool of the ship. He just needed to find a creature pathetic enough.

He was heading down what could loosely be described as the "main street", when something caught his eye a little way down an alley. It was a creature that was spraying graffiti. Nothing unusual in and of itself, virtually every surface that was unguarded for more than a few minutes ended up with someone's name or personal emblem spray-painted all over it. However, this creature wasn't spraying a tag; this one was spraying a message, one that burned Ripcon through to his core. It was spraying the word 'traitor' under a crude drawing of Ripcon.

"HEY!" Ripcon screamed, at which the creature turned around. "If you have an accusation to make, make it to my face you coward!"

The creature ran off, at which Ripcon gave chase. He ran into an alley, finding the creature had run right into a dead-end. He slowed up, drawing one of his swords and starting to scrape it menacingly along the wall, sparking as it went.

"It's time you learned the cost of libel." Ripcon stated, advancing on him. "And I do NOT mean lawyers' fees!"

"Please, please don't hurt me!" The creature begged. "He paid me to do it!"

Ripcon stopped in his tracks, his face screwing up in disgust.

"Who paid you?" He stated. "WHO?"

"Sorry, did I say 'paid'?" It asked. "I meant, WILL pay me traitor! Take THIS!"

He saw the creature hit a button on a device, at which something fell and hit him. Ripcon barely flinched as numerous small weights fell on him, bouncing off with hardly any effect at all. He looked down to the tiny little metal weights, and then up to the creature.

"What? That trader told me those were heavy!" The creature screamed. "Stupid metric system!"

Ripcon went for the creature, who ducked aside as another device fired off, launching a series of razor-sharp pieces of metal, all of which missed Ripcon completely, hitting the device's owner.

"OW!" He screamed as he started to dance in pain. Ripcon grabbed the creature and rammed him against the wall, at which his cloak fell away. He saw the creature, who looked startlingly familiar.

"YOU?" Ripcon yelled. "How? You've been destroyed already!"

"That was my brother, Ripperat!" The creature whined. "YOU sent him to get destroyed by the Rangers...then I got to watch him get destroyed all over again last week!"

"THAT WAS COSMO YOU IDIOT!" Ripcon snapped in response. "So, what name should I give the crematorium for your urn?"

"Trapsaw!" The creature wailed as it quivered in fear before him. "Please, don't hurt me! I just...I just heard you were a traitor and thought I could impress Galvanax by taking you out!"

"Trapsaw?" Cosmo said as he looked around at the devices that had been used against him. "Is...is that what these are? These are TRAPS?"

"Um...yeah, I love traps!" Trapsaw told him. Ripcon was almost more annoyed that he sought to destroy him with such pathetic devices, but then a thought came to him. An evil smirk crossed his face.

"You want to impress Galvanax right?" He asked. "Move out of this...toilet?"

"Yes!" Trapsaw told him. Ripcon put his sword away.

"How would you like to be on the show?" Ripcon asked him. "I'm something of a manager. I can put you on the next broadcast."

"You...you'd do that for me?" Trapsaw asked him. "After I tried to kill you?"

"Trust me, for what I've got in mind, you're perfect!" Ripcon said with a smirk as he grabbed him, tossing him down the alley, kicking him up the backside for good measure. "Come on! Let's get you ready for television!"

Down on Earth, in his office, Al closed over a folder and put it aside, before taking a look at his clock, seeing that it was lunch time. He went into his drawer pulling out his lunch box to head to the canteen, but before he could go anywhere, the elevator arrived on his floor. There was a murmur around the office as Marcus Tien stepped off the elevator, flanked by security guards.

He started to make his way over, at which Al just rolled his eyes and waited for him to arrive. He doubted that Mr Tien had ever been on this floor before now, but in the last few weeks, his attempts to lure Al into investments had become increasingly aggressive.

Al had made his position very clear on the subject. There was a reason he had left that life behind him. While he was highly successful as an investment broker, he had become a person he hated, a person that had left more than one life in ruins. Mr Tien arrived at his desk, smiling as he straightened out his suit.

"Mr Thompson, how are you this fine day?" Mr Tien greeted him.

"I'm fine." Al answered. "Mr Tien, I only get half an hour for lunch, I don't meant to be rude but can you make this quick?"

"This is your family?" Mr Tien asked, picking up a picture frame and looking at the picture on Al's desk. It was a picture that they had taken outside their new house when they moved into Summer Cove. "And this must be Sarah. She's a pretty young girl, bright too from what my Preston tells me..."

"Yes, she is a wonderful young woman." Al said in an exasperated tone, snatching the picture frame from him. "What can I do for you Mr Tien?"

"You can go." Mr Tien answered. Al just looked confused.

"Are you...are you firing me?" Al asked him.

"No, no, far from it! I'm giving you the rest of the day off! Tomorrow too!" Mr Tien answered with a smile. "I need you to come into work this Saturday, so I was going to have to give you a day back."

"Saturday?" Al asked. "I...I was planning on spending some time with my family..."

"Which is why I also wanted to give you the rest of today as well." Mr Tien assured him. "Free of charge of course."

"Mr Tien...I really don't..."

"I think you'll find by contract that I can alter your working hours to suit business needs." Mr Tien interrupted him. "Believe me, I need you on Saturday."

Al knew this wasn't a fight he was likely to win. He just picked up his lunch and grabbed his jacket.

"I'll see you on Saturday then." He answered.

"My office, 9AM." Mr Tien told him. Al just nodded in understanding as he left. Mr Tien picked up the picture and looked at it again, smiling.

"Such a lovely family." He commented, before looking to Sarah's picture. "I just hope you do the right thing by them Mr Thompson."


	21. Schedule Change

Mrs Thompson was in her living room, on the phone around the middle of the day. She stepped over a cleaning drone as it zipped around the floor, vacuuming up.

"Your delivery promise said allow ten days for delivery...it's now been almost a month." Mrs Thompson said as she paced the room, instinctively stepping to avoid the vacuum drone. "You've already removed the delivery charge, I just want to know when I'm going to get my..."

She was interrupted as she heard a crash coming from the garage. At this time of the day, she should have been on her own in the house. She looked around; trying to remember if she had left it open by mistake once Al had gone to work.

"What?" She asked as the person on the other end asked something. "No, I DON'T want you to cancel the order...I just want to know when I'm going to get...alright, fine but can I get the number for your corporate office? If it isn't here by next week, you'll be hearing about this...yes...thank you."

She hung up the phone and started to head towards the garage. She could hear a power saw, and started to get a little concerned.

"Hello?" She called out, but there was no answer. Whoever was in the garage clearly couldn't hear her over the saw. She started to make her way cautiously towards the garage, grabbing the nearest thing to hand, which happened to be a staple-gun, and headed through. She kept the phone in her back pocket as precaution and headed through. There was indeed a man in the garage, operating a power saw, and he had his back to her, but seeing their car in the driveway, she surmised it was her husband. She put the staple-gun down and headed around where he could see her. He was wearing ear-defenders, and between that and the saw he couldn't hear her.

"Al?" She asked, waving a hand in front of him. "AL!"

Al looked up, seeing his wife, before shutting off the saw. He pulled off his ear-defenders.

"Ellie, hi." He said, seeing her.

"Hi?" She asked him. "Al...what are you doing here? Other than giving me a heart attack thinking someone was breaking in of course."

"Ellie, we have a monster stroll down the street at least once a week. I think burglary is the least of anyone's worries." He commented. Ellie just stood with her hands on her hips, clearly not amused by his flippant remark. "I just thought it was about time I got started on turning the garage into the workshop I promised you and Sarah since we got here."

"Al, I mean...what are you doing here NOW?" She asked. "Aren't you meant to be at work?"

"Not according to Mr Tien." He responded. He could see the slightly worried look on her face. "No, I'm not fired or anything...he's still intent on trying to pressure me to see things his way. He told me to go home for the rest of the day and take tomorrow off. He wants me to work on Saturday instead."

"Saturday?" She asked him. "But...but you only work..."

"I work whenever the hell he wants me to." Al grumbled. "I'm contracted for 40 hours a week. As long as he gives me at least eight hours between shifts, he can ask me to work any time he wants."

"But...but we were going to..."

"Sadly my plans don't mean much to him." Al interrupted her. Ellie just looked to him.

"Well...can you at least change out of your suit so you don't get it messed up?" She asked him. She knew better than to try and reason with him while he was still angry. He just nodded in understanding.

"You're right...you're always right." He answered as he went inside. Ellie just looked to the wood and sighed.

"Well, it will be nice to be able to hook the smoke-detectors back up." She commented. "Sarah might get some of her bedroom space back."

Meanwhile, over at the school, at lunch time, Sarah was looking for Preston. Lately, she had some ideas on how to help him with some effects for his shows. While Preston had no problem buying gimmicks and props, she was sure she could create some special effects with a little more...pizzazz.

As she was walking through the corridor, she bumped into Tom as he was leaving. He had some contracts and things with him, and he wasn't concentrating on where he was going. He steadied Sarah as he almost knocked her over.

"Whoa, sorry about that." He told her, turning his attention to the phone. "I'll call you back...sorry about that. I guess I shouldn't walk-and-talk."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Sarah answered. "So did you and Levi get your stuff finished?"

"For now." He commented. "Believe me, a lot of people are NOT happy to hear 'hey, we want to put the world tour on hold and we don't know yet when we're going'."

"I guess that is a little awkward." Sarah said a little uncomfortably. While it was good that Levi had accepted his responsibility as the Gold Ranger was his priority, without being able to explain things it did mean that to a lot of people he had to look a little bit of a flake. It wasn't so long ago he had disappeared for months without telling anyone where he was going or when he'd be back...and now he was putting his career on hold indefinitely once again. "Sorry, our um...extra-curricular activities rarely have much respect for our lives."

"Well, that's what he has me for." Tom told her. "I've had Levi's back since he was twelve, this is nothing new. You guys just concentrate on making sure I get him back in one piece."

"Hey, he's pretty good at saving our butts." Sarah commented. "He saved us from Cosmo's game. Good thing he hates board games so much or he'd have been trapped in there with us."

"Levi hates board games?" Tom asked her. Sarah noted an element of surprise in his voice.

"Yeah, he told us he hates board games. That's why he didn't want to play." Sarah answered. "You didn't know?"

"I...guess I never noticed." Tom answered with a shrug. "We never had any board games at the farm. There wasn't much time for it after chores. I guess he never liked them before he came to us?"

"Yeah...I guess." She answered. "Say, have you seen Preston?"

"The blue one?" He asked. "Yeah, he was headed in the direction of the Home Ec. Department last time I saw him."

"Home Ec.?" Sarah asked. "He doesn't do Home Ec."

"Well that's where he was heading." Tom told her.

"Right...thanks Tom." She answered as he headed off. Sarah followed the corridor towards the Home Economics department, and she could hear a sewing machine running. She smiled as she saw that Preston was inside, working on a sewing machine. She opened the door quietly, making her way up behind him as he seemed to finish up.

He looked to his project and smiled.

"Nice!" He said, holding up what looked like a length of ribbon, admiring his work.

"Whatcha working on there magic boy?" Sarah asked him. Preston saw her and hurriedly shoved it into his pocket. "Is it a prop for your shows?"

"Uh...yeah, it's something like that." Preston said, looking about as convincing as a puppy standing next to a fresh present on the carpet with its cutest look on its face.

"Oh, can I see it?" She asked him.

"Well..."

"Oh come on, just a peek?" She asked him. "I am your glamorous assistant remember?"

"Yeah...there are some things I need to keep secret..."

"Oh, just a peek?" She begged. "I am promising to let you put me in a guillotine."

"Yeah...you'll see it soon enough." He told her. Sarah looked a little disappointed, but Preston wanted to keep this a surprise for now. He had been working on it at lunch time all week, and this weekend he was planning to give a surprise to the whole team. He wanted them all to find out together. He started to stroke her shoulder. "I promise."

"Well...OK then." She answered, before pulling something out of her pocket. "Oh, I've been working on something for you. "They're new smoke bombs! They're WAY stronger than the ones you buy at the store..."

"How much stronger?" Preston asked, throwing down one of them.

"PRESTON NO!" She called out, but it was too late. It hit the ground and exploded, filling the whole room with thick, white smoke in seconds. As the school's fire-alarm went off, Sarah just sighed.

"Sorry." He said, looking a little uncomfortable.

"Just as well the smoke isn't harmful." She commented as they headed for the fire-exit, preparing to put on the acting job of their lives to convince Principal Hastings that they weren't responsible.

Up on the Warrior Dome, Ripcon came into Cosmo's office to pitch his latest find to him.

"Trapsaw?" Cosmo asked. "I've never heard of him."

"Well...he's a real find, believe me!" Ripcon assured him. "He's come from pretty good stock...his brother Ripperat was already on the show."

"Ripperat? The same Ripperat that's been defeated twice already?" Cosmo asked him.

"Yes, and you know what that means...a vendetta! Grudge Match!" Ripperat told him, trying to speak to Cosmo's sensibilities as a showman. He had his own agenda, and really didn't care for the show at all, but in order to enact his own plan, he needed Cosmo to get on board. "Not to mention Trapsaw is a lot smarter than his brother. He's devious; he's a master of creating traps."

"Traps you say?" Cosmo asked him, looking a little sceptical.

"Yes, traps! Deadly, ingenious traps!" Ripcon said, trying to dress up the situation as much as possible. It didn't matter to Ripcon that he was in fact a moron. His intention was that Trapsaw would fail so spectacularly that he would be justified in going down to help him. "The Rangers will see Ripperat, go straight for him, using the same strategy as before and BOOM! Out of nowhere, they'll be crushed by a wrecking ball they didn't even know was there!"

"Hm...this DOES sound promising." Cosmo mused. "But I'd need a demonstration..."

"Well, the thing is his traps take some time to set up. I've already sent him to Earth to begin preparations." Ripcon told him. "Also...we'll need to do it Saturday."

"SATURDAY?" Ripcon screamed. "But the show is on FRIDAY!"

"Well...how about we do a special?" Ripcon asked. "We tell everyone there's technical difficulties or something and do a special broadcast on Saturday!"

"Do you have ANY idea..."

"I promise, he WON'T let you down!" Ripcon told him. Cosmo wasn't convinced. He knew that changing the schedule, especially with little to no advertising that the schedule was changing, could cause immense damage to a show's viewing figures. Nothing pissed fans off more than never knowing when their favourite show was on and finding it difficult to track when they could see it on the schedule.

That said, Cosmo also had to admit that after the previous week, he had neglected somewhat to come up with a follow-up show. He was thinking of sending one of Odious' creatures, some monster she had pitched that created poisons or some other nonsense, but he had no desire to speak to her and listen to her taunts how his game had failed to defeat the Rangers. He was running short of options.

"Fine, we'll do it your way, but the results are all on YOUR head!" Cosmo warned him.

"I'll take full responsibility." Ripcon assured him with a smile.

"Then tell your monster he's on." Cosmo answered. "You better deliver Ripcon!"

"Don't worry." Ripcon said confidently. "This is going to be a show no one will forget!"

The following day, the kids at school weren't talking about the fire-alarm the day before, and were more interested in discussing their plans for the weekend. Fortunately, Sarah's new smoke bombs were designed specifically not to leave behind any traces that would give away how the trick was done, so no one really knew how an entire room had filled with smoke with seemingly no explanation at all. All things considered, in a city that regularly saw magic, aliens and giant monsters, a fire alarm was really not considered the biggest mystery in the city.

Friday was a day that somewhat separated out the Rangers from the other kids in Summer Cove High. While for all the other kids, Friday was the day they all looked forward to, the day when they were more concerned about what they were going to do with their weekend than school, for the Rangers, it was a day spent mostly on tenterhooks. The advantage of Cosmo's show was that they could predict his schedule and know roughly when he would be broadcasting, but the worst part was that his show went out on a Friday.

"Hey guys." Brody said as he sat with Sarah and Preston, causing them both to jump as they were going over some plans for one of his tricks. "So, you guys been up to anything interesting?"

"Us? Up to something?" Sarah asked.

"We're not up to anything." Preston said in his usual, unconvincing tone. He and Sarah exchanged a glance, reminding each other wordlessly of their pact not to rat each other out for inadvertently causing an evacuation of the school. Hayley and Calvin arrived shortly afterwards.

"So...Friday...again." Hayley said as they sat with their friends. "Any of you seen anything suspicious?"

"Not yet." Preston muttered.

"Man, I don't know what's worse, the attacks or waiting on them coming." Calvin grumbled. "Does anyone remember when the worst thing we had to worry about on a Friday was what we were going to do on Saturday?"

"Well, I've got an idea about that actually." Preston told them. They all looked to him. "I have a bit of a surprise for you all."

"What is it Preston?" Hayley asked. "Have you finally figured out that fire trick?"

"It's not a magic trick, I promise you." Preston assured them, smiling. He had been a bit of a loner for most of his time at school. Thanks to the fact that more than half the kids in school's parents worked for his dad in some capacity, meant that between either resentment of his wealth and influence or genuine fear of the negative effects on their lives, most kids gave Preston a wide berth. Very few approached him at all until the Rangers became his friends. It was the reason he wanted to show them all how much they meant to him, and he had finally figured out a way he could. "I was thinking, maybe we could spend the day together."

"That sounds like a great idea." Hayley answered. "Do we need to bring anything?"

"Well, if you want to bring some food for a picnic, that would be good." Preston answered with a smile, knowing that she was likely fishing for clues what he was planning. "Other than that, just...meet me here tomorrow morning!"

"That sounds great!" Sarah commented as the bell rang. "Alright, computer science!"

"Sarah, I think you are possibly the only person I know that could be excited by computer science first period on a Friday." Brody answered.

"I know." She chirped cheerfully. "I guess its part of what makes me unique."

"That's one way to describe it." Preston teased her as they all headed off to class.


	22. The Saturday Shift

As Saturday rolled around, Al came into the kitchen, yawning as he did so. He had spent most of the day the previous day working on turning the garage into a work room that he had been promising Sarah since they moved. His frustrations with his situation at work were building quickly and he was looking for any distractions he could get in order to get through it.

He didn't ask for much in life anymore. While at once time, he had chased the almighty dollar with a passion, he had since seen where that led and had altered his views on his priorities. Now, he was more concerned with covering his bills, and after that, ensuring he had enough of his life outside of work to enjoy what his work got him. A good home, and a comfortable life for his family. A long lie on a Saturday was a simple pleasure, but one that was pretty important to him. As he got to the kitchen, he found Sarah humming contentedly to herself as she grabbed food out of the larder, putting it into a bag.

"It is WAY too early on a Saturday to be that cheerful." Al commented.

"How can I not be cheerful? It's a lovely day out, yesterday was...uh...quiet..."

"You mean there were no monster attacks." Al interrupted her. Sarah froze completely still. She had kept her promise, kept to her oath not to tell anyone about her duties as a Ranger outside of those that already knew. She was a little worried now that he mentioned it so casually. "It was Friday, for some reason those freaks always show up on a Friday don't they?"

"Oh...yeah, right." Sarah said, a little relieved that he hadn't somehow managed to figure out why this was unusual for her. She and her friends had all noted that it was strange that a Friday had passed and Cosmo hadn't sent any new monsters after them. It hadn't occurred to her that the rest of the city would have noticed as well that the monster attacks tended to always come on the same day. "Yeah, that was odd."

"Why, what did you think I meant?" Al asked her.

"Oh...I just meant...Preston's show! He debuted a new trick, but there were only a couple of kids there so it was pretty quiet. We'll have to try it out again when we get a bigger audience." Sarah told him as she started to make up some sandwiches.

"Preston...Preston...Tien?" Al asked. "As in...my boss' kid?"

"Yeah, that's right." Sarah chuckled.

"You're spending quite a bit of time with him lately." Al commented, trying his best not to sound too disapproving or hesitant. He really didn't want his problem with his boss to become Sarah's problem with his kid, but he couldn't help wondering how close to the tree the apple fell. "So are you friends or are you...GOOD friends?"

"Me and PRESTON?" Sarah asked, looking like she was about to hit the floor with the suggestion. She just laughed. "No dad, it's not like that at all! We're friends, nothing more!"

"Right, sorry to pry." He answered, though he couldn't help being a little relieved to hear that Sarah wasn't any more deeply involved with Preston than mere friendship. As much as he knew that Sarah was thankfully not much like him, he couldn't help wondering and fearing if Preston would be like his dad.

"What's with the suit?" Sarah asked him.

"Mr Tien wanted me to work today." Al told her. She just looked to him curiously.

"Why?" She asked him. "He never wanted you to work weekends before."

"Hopefully it won't become a habit." Al commented. "Anyway, would you like a lift?"

"No thanks, we're just meeting up at the school." Sarah told him.

"The school?" Al asked, looking a little confused. "Why would you meet at the school?"

"Um...it's...pretty central for most of us." Sarah finally managed to come up with. She didn't think she could really explain the fact that Brody actually lived at the school. "It won't take me long to get there."

"Alright, but don't say you weren't offered." Al told her, pouring some coffee into a travel mug and sealing it, before heading over, hugging her tightly. "Have fun today."

"I will." She answered. "Don't work too hard."

"It's better to work smart than hard." Al answered as he headed out the door. Sarah just shook her head and chuckled.

"Right...Preston doesn't like butter, Brody...pretty much eats anything as long as it has meat in it." She reminded herself as she started sorting out sandwich ingredients. "Calvin...he'll eat anything. Now, what was it Hayley likes again?"

In another part of town, another couple of young people were out and about surprisingly early for people their age with nothing better to do. Victor and Monty were waiting patiently for Mr Tien in his office as they had been instructed. Both of them were wearing suits for the first day of their internship with Tien Industries. They had been told to wait in the office, but since no one was around to say exactly WHERE in the office, they had succumbed to temptation and headed out onto the balcony. Victor took a long, deep breath in as he looked out over Summer Cove from what was easily the highest vantage point in the city.

"You smell that Monty?" Victor asked him. "That is the smell of…success. I'm telling you, we are on the way to the big time!"

"Wow, we are…like…so high up." Monty gulped as he stood by the balcony, looking down. Monty had never been particularly great with heights. He had found himself getting queasy on the kiddies' merry go round at the county fair once.

"That is because we are on top of the world my friend!" Victor declared as he put his arm around him. "Just think of it, one day, you and I, we could have all this. The money, the power, literally everyone in the city looking up to you!"

"I think I'd prefer something on the ground floor." Monty said, suppressing a little bit of vomit. Victor just beamed at him.

"Monty, only the common, run-of-the-mill people inhabit the ground floor." Victor told him. "We need to reach for the clouds. Just grab them, and take them!"

"That's what I like to hear, some ambitious talk!" They heard a voice behind them say. They both jumped in alarm, having to steady themselves on the guard rail as they turned to see Mr Tien standing behind them. "Nice suits boys."

"Rule number one, always look the part." Victor declared as he shook Mr Tien's hand enthusiastically. "I read all of your business books Mr Tien. You are an inspiration! The American Dream in the flesh! You are…"

"Thank you, I think that will be enough for now." Mr Tien said, gesturing them both inside. "Boys, you are being given an opportunity, one that I rarely give out. You will work directly under me. I expect absolutely nothing but the best."

"That's what you'll get from us for sure sir." Monty stated. Mr Tien smiled.

"Good." He told them. "Now, today we're heading out of the building. I thought it might be good for you to see that business isn't all about stuffy offices and pieces of paper."

"That sounds good Mr Tien." Victor answered. "Whatever you need us to do, we won't let you down!"

"Good, that's good to hear." Mr Tien told him. "Tell me, since you've read all my books, what are the most important qualities in any employee?"

"Loyalty, Dedication, Hard Work and Being a Team Player." Monty rushed out excitedly. Mr Tien clicked his fingers and pointed at him.

"That's exactly right Morty." He told him.

"That's…Monty, Mr Tien." Monty answered.

"What I need more than anything else is people I can count on. People I know will have my back. There are a lot of sharks out there boys, and you need to know that the person with you will be willing to punch that shark on the nose and send it on its way instead of feeding you to it so that you can swim away." He said sagely. "So, what kind of people are you?"

"We're your shark-punchers." Victor told him as Monty held up his tiny fists and started flailing around at imaginary sharks. "Just point us in their direction and we'll send them packing!"

"Excellent! Just what I wanted to hear! Now, we're just waiting on one more." Mr Tien said. Just then, the office doors opened and Al was shown in. He didn't look particularly happy to be there. "Mr Thompson, so good to see you. Nice and punctual I see."

"I like to keep good time." Al sighed. He looked to Victor and Monty, seeing that they were about Sarah's age. "So who are they?"

"These fine young men are my new interns! Bright young men with bright futures that I want to shape in my own image!" Mr Tien said with delight. Al could only think that the last thing the world needed was more people like Mr Tien. "This is Victor and Morty."

"Monty." Monty corrected him again. Al recognised the names from Sarah's stories. He could remember her describing them in somewhat less than flattering terms. Looking at them, clamouring for Mr Tien's respect and admiration, he could quickly guess why he liked the idea of having them around.

"So what do you need me to do?" Al asked. Mr Tien just smiled and wagged a finger at him.

"Always in such a rush. We've got some time before my driver arrives." Mr Tien said as he gestured to them to take a seat. "Have you eaten yet? I can have my assistant bring some breakfast."

"Nothing for us thanks." Victor said proudly. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. No good business gets done on an empty stomach."

"Very good!" Mr Tien replied, looking impressed as Victor and Monty lapped up his praise. Al just looked like he wanted to leave. "We're heading out to the site of my latest development. I plan to break ground on a new skyscraper. It will combine luxury apartments with top-notch business premises. By the time it's open and it's filled, I fully expect it to bring in this city hundreds of millions of dollars a year…and more importantly about 20 million a year for yours truly."

"That sounds great Mr Tien!" Victor replied in a sycophantic tone. Al just rolled his eyes. Now he understood why he was here. This was the real estate deal that Mr Tien had tried to advise him about weeks ago. This was him making another pitch to try and tempt him by showing him exactly what he was turning down if he walked away.

"Indeed, it'll be a great boon for this city." Mr Tien told them. "Now, I always like to begin every great project with a nice mimosa. How about it boys?"

"Um…I don't think my mom would like that." Monty said a little hesitantly. A mimosa was a mix of champagne and orange juice, and both Victor and Monty were way underage.

"Come on Monty, you heard the man, have each other's backs. Mr Tien would never ask you to do anything harmful." Victor said confidently. "I'm certain one won't hurt."

"Be a good man and pour us all some mimosas." Mr Tien told Al in an off-hand way. Al just got up and headed for the table, where the champagne and the orange juice were already waiting. He got a napkin and taking a deep breath, before holding his breath, he slowly twisted the bottle, releasing the cork without sending it flying.

"You see that boys? Now THAT is practice!" Mr Tien said, sounding impressed. "I can see you're no stranger to the bubbles right Al?"

"I've had my fair share." He replied as he poured champagne into three of the four glasses, before filling them up with orange juice. He handed out the glasses, being sure that the one he had was the one with no champagne in it.

"I have a feeling this will be the beginning of big things for all of us." Mr Tien said, tapping his glass to each of theirs. "To success!"

"To success." Victor and Monty replied, before throwing back their cocktails. Al just drank his orange juice, tuning out Mr Tien as he started to regale the boys with the tale of his success.

The Rangers had all met up at the school, following which Preston had taken them out to the park on the edge of the city. There were many great parks and beauty spots in Summer Cove, but he wanted to bring them here for a reason. It was worth the drive, between Brody's truck and Calvin's Nitro, there was more than enough space for all of them. Redbot naturally had to stay behind, and since he had other work to do anyway, Mick had offered to stay and keep him company.

After parking up, Preston had led them on a pretty fair hike into the park. The others were starting to wonder where he was taking them or why they had to come so far, but as they came to a small hill, Preston started to speed up, indicating that they were almost at their destination. Looking up, they could see at the crest of the hill, an immense oak tree, one that looked like it had to have stood for at least a couple of hundred years. It was covered in bright ribbons that made it look incredibly bright and really made it stand out among its brothers.

"Is that…is that the Ribbon Tree?" Brody asked as they all started to sprint towards it. They all arrived at the foot of it, where Preston had stopped to wait on it. "I remember this from when I was a kid!"

"I…I don't get it." Sarah admitted. Levi also looked similarly confused as to the significance of the landmark. They were the only ones that weren't originally from Summer Cove, and so they didn't know that this tree was a local landmark.

"This tree was said to have been planted when the city was first being built." Preston told them, panning his hand across the tree. "People started pinning ribbons on it to signify important moments. Family, friends, accomplishments…"

"Eric Worth, graduated Summer Cove University 2001." Levi read from one of the ribbons. "Terry and Mark Granger celebrate their wedding, August 3rd 2008."

"Calvin and I put up a ribbon on our anniversary." Hayley said, grabbing his arm and pulling into him.

"Wow, there are so many here. This one here dates back to…1897. Wow!" Sarah commented as she looked at them. "All these important moments, all these dreams…no wonder you like it so much."

"And I thought that it was about time we marked our own!" Preston said, pulling out a length of ribbon. The team all looked to it as he presented it to them.

"Sarah, Preston, Calvin, Hayley, Brody, Levi." Brody read aloud, looking at the ribbon. "A Ranger Ribbon!"

"So that's what you were making in Home Ec." Sarah said, nudging Preston. "You are so sweet."

"I just thought, with this Ranger thing, we don't get to get any awards or our pictures in the paper or anything." Preston said as he held up the ribbon. "So I figured this way, there'd be something we could leave behind to commemorate what we do here…even if we're the only ones that know about it."

"That's a great idea Preston!" Hayley said as she and Sarah grabbed him. "Come on, let's find a place to put it!"

The team were just about to find somewhere to hang their ribbon, when they were interrupted by the blaring of a truck's horn. They looked around to see several trucks arriving, carrying a whole variety of tools and materials, along with a LOT of workmen. The fact they were so far from the car park meant it was no accident they were out here, and they didn't look like they were here to give the tree a trim.

"What in the world is going on here?" Brody asked as workmen started to get out of the truck and head over. When they started bringing out saws and axes, their intentions suddenly became a lot clearer.

"Hey, you kids need to clear on out of here." One of them called out. "We're cutting this tree down today."

"You're what?" Sarah asked. "They can't do that! Can they?"

Sarah didn't claim to be a law professor. She knew that a lot of public lands and a lot of landmarks were protected under the law and so were not open to developers, but that didn't mean that was always the case. A lot of land WASN'T protected, and even protected land had been known to lose it protection status and get sold off to developers if the price was right. In particular there was a clause known as "eminent domain" which allowed land to be seized if it was of particular value such as if it was needed for a highway or for drilling rights. She didn't want to think that the town's valued Ribbon Tree would be sold off so easily, but there were no guarantees…especially since no one seemed to be trying to stop these men.

Preston gripped the ribbon tightly in his hand and stepped up to the men, glaring at them intently. He knew there would be no statues or plaques in their honour as Rangers, that was just part of the deal. However, he was not about to let this one tribute he could put up be taken away so easily.

"Unless you're here to put a ribbon on it, you're not touching this tree!" Preston put down a lot more forcefully than the others were used to seeing from him. The workmen didn't look particularly bothered though, it seemed like in their time they had met resistance before.

"Want a bet?" One of them asked, holding up his chainsaw and revving it to make a point. Levi stepped forward and held up his hands.

"Whoa there partner!" He called out.

"Hey, doesn't that kind of look like Levi Weston?" One of the others asked. Levi just tipped his hat.

"In the flesh." He told them, taking out his phone and taking a selfie with the men, who posed and smiled for the picture. "Now, can I have some names? I want to know the names of the men that I'm tweeting about."

"Names?" One of them asked. "You're tweeting about us?"

"Oh yeah. I figured my followers might like to know about douchebags that threaten teenagers with chainsaws." Levi answered. "There's no need to worry though, I only have…wow…839,000 followers? It looks like I gained some since last night."

"Hey, now hold on a minute, let's not get too hasty here." The guy with the chainsaw said, turning it off and putting it down carefully. "There's no need to…"

"HEY!" They all heard someone call out. They all looked up to see Calvin and Hayley sitting up the tree. "If you want to cut down this tree, you'll have to do it with us in it!"

"They're pretty stubborn." Levi told him. "And you know what? It's been a long time since I climbed a tree. We've got all day."

With that, the rest of the team started to climb up the tree. One of the other workmen came over to the foreman.

"What do we do now?" He asked.

"There's nothing much we can do." The foreman sighed as he gestured to the other workmen, who settled in for a long wait, while he got out his cell phone and dialled.

"Mr Tien, it's me." The foreman said. "We've got a problem here."


	23. The Ribbon Tree

Mr Tien, Victor, Monty and Al were all riding the elevator down to the garage when Mr Tien's phone rang. He answered it, but as soon as he did, it was easy to see that he was not happy.

"Problem? What kind of problem?" Mr Tien asked. There was some chatter on the other end, but Al couldn't hear it. "Protesters? What do you mean protesters? I specifically told all the papers to keep the building notices small and bury them in the classifieds!"

Al smirked a little hearing this. It was a requirement that before any building work took place; especially controversial projects had to put out notices for a period of time before building began so that people would have time to file objections. There were any number of reasons people could object. Disruption to local businesses or local transport routes, losing too much local park land, effects on wildlife or the environment, and geological surveys were all reasons people had been refused permission to build, but as long as a "fair" effort was made to allow people to lodge complaints and apply for permission to form cases for their objections, it wasn't unknown for developers to get the go-ahead.

Mr Tien had used one of the oldest tricks in the book, putting small ads in the newspapers in sections people were unlikely to read. For a start, most people in the modern era got their news from the television or internet so few people even READ newspapers now, and of those that did, few read every single article, only those that interested them. Unless someone was looking specifically for a slightly-damaged coffee table for under ten dollars there weren't many people who would read the classifieds closely enough to notice a small article about the destruction of a local landmark. Mr Tien had probably paid weekend rates for workmen to begin the work in the hopes of starting the work before people even noticed he was doing it.

"SIX? You're telling me that you can't get rid of SIX protesters?" Mr Tien yelled. "You have about thirty big guys there and you can't throw six protesters off my land? What the hell am I paying you for?"

"Is there a problem Mr Tien?" Victor asked. Mr Tien held up a hand to silence him.

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes! If you know what's good for you, you'll figure out a way for those protesters to be gone by the time I get there!" Mr Tien snapped, before shutting off his phone and putting it in his pocket. "Bleeding heart tree huggers, when did people in this country stop wanting progress?"

"I honestly don't know Mr Tien." Monty commented.

"This skyscraper will be a huge benefit to the city, far more than some stupid tree, some silly little park will." Mr Tien grumbled. "I mean, how many jobs does a park bring in? Maybe two, three trash collectors? Perhaps a groundskeeper or two? This building will bring in HUNDREDS of jobs, not to mention all the homes it would create."

"It defies logic." Victor agreed sycophantically.

"I mean, I'm sure there's people living there right now, but not exactly contributing members of society." Mr Tien chuckled. "The last time I went for a site inspection I saw a few of them. They'll not exactly be any great loss to the city."

"They're just going to go somewhere else." Al commented. "People need somewhere to live, even if they don't have a roof over their heads."

"Then it'll be somewhere else's problem." Mr Tien answered. "Boys, I want you to pay attention today. You're about to get an important lesson in how the world works."

Meanwhile, up on the Warrior Dome, Cosmo was preparing for his show. It was a little bit of a disruption to his usual schedule to hold the show on a Saturday instead of a Friday, but he was willing to take a punt on Ripcon's monster since right now the only other option on the books that was ready was Odious' poison monster. He didn't think an episode watching the Rangers slowly die from poison was exactly going to be the most exciting for the ratings, and if this Trapsaw was anything like his brother, at very least he would hold the audience's attention.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to this special broadcast of Galaxy Warriors!" He called out, getting a much more muted response than he was used to. With the sudden change in schedule, a lot of monsters didn't know when the show was on, and so the audience on this occasion was only about two-thirds full. Normally it was an easy sell-out, but hanging so suddenly many already had other plans. He was sure his ratings were also showing a marked hit. "Now welcome to the show, a master strategist, a genius of mechanics, TRAPSAW!"

The monster walked out onto the stage, and Cosmo perked up a little. He looked almost exactly like Ripperat, and that boded well. Ripperat still had a loyal following, and he was hoping that his brother would remind enough people of him to take on some of that fan base. However as he came onto the stage, waving, Cosmo watched as he turned to the back wall, waving.

"Hi everybody!" He called out. "Huh? Where's the audience?"

Cosmo face-palmed. He couldn't believe it, there were only two directions he could have turned, and he chose the wrong one! He'd had some problems with introductions before, but normally it wasn't hard for the contestants to find which way to look for the audience.

"Ahem." Cosmo said, trying to raise his attention, before pointing at the rather large, noticeable and noisy audience that Trapsaw had somehow missed. He came over waving wildly.

"Hi everybody!" Trapsaw greeted them in a rather childish, gleeful tone that sounded more like he was getting ready for a play-date than a fight to the death. Now Cosmo was starting to get worried.

"Well Trapsaw, we know your brother fought on the show, what can you tell us about yourself?" Cosmo asked, hoping to get something from him he could get the audience excited about.

"Um...well...uh..." Trapsaw uttered, looking like he was contemplating the secrets of the origin of the universe rather than a very simple question that literally every single warrior had an answer for within moments. "I love traps. Here, stand right here on this X."

Trapsaw pointed to an X marked on the floor. Cosmo just sighed and stepped onto it.

"Now hold very still." Trapsaw giggled. Cosmo just took a deep breath as he waited what felt like an eternity. Even a few moments on camera was enough to lose an audience if nothing happened.

"Is something supposed to happen?" Cosmo asked him.

Just then, a huge anvil dropped down, right on Trapsaw's head! He fell to the ground, clutching his skull and crying out in pain. Cosmo was almost ready to call a halt to this farce right here and now, until he heard something from the crowd. Laughter. Not just a small chuckle, but real, hysterical laughter! Some of them were falling out of their seats, while others looked like they were close to needing oxygen.

"Aw, it happened again!" He whined. Cosmo looked to it, and then to the audience, seeing their continued laughter. He couldn't do much about things now, he didn't have an alternative monster ready, but if he couldn't give them a warrior, at very least he could provide them entertainment, even if it was in the form of a clown.

"That could have been me!" He screamed. "Well, we know that the Rangers have a lot to worry about, let's see Trapsaw in action!"

With that, he hit the teleport button, sending Trapsaw to Earth. He stormed off the stage to where Wrench was waiting.

"Cosmo, we have a problem..."

"Yes, I'd say we have a very BIG problem! Ripcon just sold me a lemon!" Cosmo screamed at him. "His monster is a MORON!"

"He's...he's definitely..."

"He's a MORON!" Cosmo reiterated. "Get me Ripcon, NOW!"

"Uh...that was the problem...Ripcon isn't on the ship." Wrench told him.

"Of course he's not." Cosmo grumbled as the pieces started to fall into place. "Come on Wrench, maybe with some good cutting we can make a decent blooper reel and stop this being a complete waste of a show!"

Back in the park, the Rangers were in the tree, occupying it to that the workmen couldn't cut it down. No matter how ruthless a developer was, they couldn't wilfully put lives in danger in the pursuit of their goals. They couldn't cut down a tree while someone was sitting in it anymore than they could bulldoze or blow up a house with someone inside.

It had been about half an hour already, and they didn't even really know what they were waiting for. They weren't doing anyone much good being stuck up on the tree. They had their picnic with them, but between rest, the call of nature, or at worst if they managed to stay all weekend, eventually needing to go to school, the fact was sooner or later they would have to leave.

"We need to figure out what to do next." Sarah told them. "I mean, as long as at least one of us is up here they can't cut down the tree, but we can't do much to stop this long-term from here. We need to let other people know about this."

"Maybe we won't have to wait that long." Brody suggested as he saw a fancy car rolling up. "That looks like someone in charge. Maybe we can reason with them."

"We'll stay up here." Calvin told them, putting his arm around Hayley. "The rest of you talk to them."

"Well, you started this." Brody said to Preston as he patted the Blue Ranger on the shoulder. "I guess that makes you our spokesman."

With that, hey all climbed down the tree.

A short distance away, the foreman saw the car arriving and knew that things were about to turn ugly. Mr Tien was not a patient man, and he did not like it at all when things didn't go his way. He got out, along with Victor and Monty, who mirrored his every move as he straightened out his jacket and buttoned it up. Al followed a short way behind them.

"What's the hold up?" Mr Tien asked.

"Sir, the protesters..."

"I told you I wanted those protesters gone!" Mr Tien responded angrily. "I want this tree cut down immediately or I'll use your Christmas Bonuses to buy a new jet!"

Al just rolled his eyes and sighed. It didn't surprise him in the least that Mr Tien would make a threat like that. It wasn't the workmen's fault that people didn't want him to pour concrete over every square inch of greenery in the city, and many of them were hard workers with families. Although Christmas was a long way off, it was doubtful that most of their families would be able to shrug off the loss of in some cases thousands of dollars.

"I'm sorry Mr Tien, we've asked them to leave." The foreman tried to explain. "Most of them are just kids..."

"Kids? You're getting pushed around by a bunch of kids?" He said in disbelief. "What kids? I'll show you how to get rid of them!"

He started to trudge over, at which Victor and Monty followed. Al dutifully went with them. They rounded a truck, coming face to face with the protesters that were holding up the work. Mr Tien stopped in his tracks.

"PRESTON?" He roared as he saw his own son standing in his way. Preston gulped as his dad confronted him, coming over to his son.

"Oh...hi...dad." Preston finally stammered out. He was still holding the ribbon that he and his friends had wanted to put up on the tree. There would never be any monuments or statues to them, the Rangers perhaps but nothing that acknowledged them. He had taken on this fight, determined to ensure that there was at least something left for them to remember all this by. However, seeing his dad standing before him, the fight seemed to start to noticeably melt away from him. Sarah came over to Preston.

"That's your dad?" She asked. She had never met Preston's dad, but she knew about him from reputation. Her dad worked for him, and most of the people in the city had some kind of opinion of him, whether it was complimentary or not.

"Uh huh." He replied weakly. Sarah felt badly for Preston, she had seen him go from confidently ready to stand his ground to quaking in fear in a matter of seconds. She hated to see that his dad could have this much of an effect on him. She looked up and saw her own dad standing a little way off, looking rather uncomfortable.

"Don't tell me you have something to do with this!" Mr Tien snapped at his son in a manner that shocked all of the Rangers. While they all had arguments with their families at times, and some of them could get very heated, none of them could think of a time that their own parents would speak to them with such venom. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Well...we were just going to put a ribbon on..."

"Ribbon? Don't be absurd! All of these ribbons are going to be trashed! Along with this tree!" He told him flatly. "Now get out of the way or..."

"HEY!" Sarah protested, stepping between Preston and his dad, getting into Mr Tien's face; well, as much as she could anyway considering she was shorter than him by almost a foot and a half. "You can't talk to him like that!"

"Sarah?" He asked, looking at her and recognising her from the picture on Al's desk. He looked over to Al. "Your daughter is in on this too?"

"It...would appear so." Al answered with a shrug. "It's the first I knew about it."

"You need to learn to control your daughter..."

"HEY!" Levi called out as he interjected himself into the situation. "I think YOU need to learn how to talk to people!"

"Levi Weston?" He asked, looking a little confused. "What are you doing here?"

"These kids and I happen to be friends. We were all out here for a nice day and to hang a ribbon until your workmen showed up." Levi told him. "Now this here tree, I admit that I've not been in town long, but it seems pretty clear that this tree is important to this town."

"Yeah, these ribbons represent important memories to so many people!" Hayley called down from the tree.

"Yeah, some of these ribbons date back to the first settlers of Summer Cove!" Calvin added.

"Young lady, the skyscraper I'm going to build here is also important. Important to my BANK ACCOUNT!" Mr Tien yelled at her. "You get down here this instant!"

"Dad, please..."

"Wait in the car Preston." Mr Tien interrupted his son.

"But dad..."

"THE CAR!" He reiterated, pointing to the car. Victor and Monty followed suit. Preston just sighed and hung his head as he trudged towards the car.

"Preston!" Sarah called after him, hating to see him defeated. He had faced off against so many monsters, but to see the effect his dad had on him was heartbreaking. She had seen him scared and she had seen him low, but she had never seen him so completely crushed before. Preston looked to her apologetically before heading to his car.

"You better go too young lady." Mr Tien warned her. Sarah just folded her arms.

"Sorry, but I don't have to listen to you." She said defiantly.

"Al, perhaps you can make your daughter see some sense." Mr Tien suggested. "You don't want her to be around when things get ugly."

"Whoa, is that a threat?" Brody asked.

"Tell your daughter to move." Mr Tien warned Al. He looked to Sarah, and then back to Mr Tien.

"I'm sorry, but it looks like she's made up her mind." He told his boss. Mr Tien glared at him in a way that let Al know this wasn't going to be the last word on the subject. He knew there would be hell to pay, but it was clear Sarah had made up her mind that she was standing up for herself and this tree.

"Then don't say you weren't warned." Mr Tien told him. "INTERNS!"

Victor and Monty both stood to attention. Monty actually saluted as they came to report to Mr Tien.

"You two want to be like me some day right?" He asked. "Then show me what you've got! Get them off my property!"

"Yes sir!" Victor responded. They looked to Brody, Levi and Sarah, all of whom they knew, and were trying to figure out how to get them to move. That was when Monty noticed something and tapped Victor on the shoulder.

"I've got an idea." He told him. He pointed to a truck, which had a hose on the back. Victor smiled as he realised what Monty was thinking of.

"Good thinking Monty!" Victor said as Monty went to get the hose. They had both seen a number of protest videos and seen police break up riots with water cannons. Water cannons were themselves just basically big hoses, so a hose cranked up to high pressure was bound to have the same effect. Monty came back, pointing the hose at them.

"Unless you want a shower, I suggest you move." Victor declared.

"I think this should be a real...skoosh!" Monty said, beginning to chuckle. Sarah glared at him.

"You're going to turn a hose on us Monty?" She asked. "I thought home-made semtex was more your speed."

"Wh...wh...what?" Monty stammered.

"Your old Middle School?" She asked. Monty suddenly turned sheet-white and fell completely silent. He looked like he was going to be ill. He dropped the hose and started to walk away, heading for the car.

"Monty?" Victor asked, sounding concerned. He glared at Sarah, a look that she had never seen from him before. He had been mad at them before whenever things didn't go his way or whenever he was made to look foolish by them, but this was a look of almost pure hate. Sarah felt badly about what she had said. It was a low blow, one that she regretted using, even if it did seem to have the desired effect of making them leave. Victor went after Monty to check on his friend. Mr Tien just rolled his eyes.

"I don't have time for this!" Mr Tien snapped. "Mark my words, this tree's going to be cut down today! PRESTON! Get in the car!"

With that, Preston, Victor, Monty, Al and Mr Tien got in the car and left. The Rangers had won this round, but they knew that they would have to leave eventually; all Mr Tien had to do was wait them out. They were in control for now, but that wouldn't last long.

"How can he be so cold?" Hayley yelled down. "We have to stop him!"

"But how? He won't even listen to his own son!" Calvin reminded her. "Why would he listen to us?"

"Tons of people put those ribbons up, maybe he'd listen to them?" Brody suggested.

"Yeah, but how are we going to find them?" Levi asked. "I have Twitter, but most of my followers probably aren't in Summer Cove. They come from all over."

"We should put up flyers, all over town!" Sarah said as the thought came to her. "If we put them up everywhere, people are bound to notice and come to help!"

"Great idea!" Hayley answered. "You guys do that, Calvin and I will start posting online!"

"Come on guys, let's get busy!" Brody said as they were about to leave. Sarah just held up a hand though.

"Yeah, but...before we go, I just realised something!" She said as a smirk started to cross her face. "Calvin and Hayley are LITERALLY sitting up a tree!"

"Sarah..."

"Calvin and Hayley, sitting up a tree." Sarah started to sing, before Brody grabbed her and pulled her away. "Aw, you're no fun!"


	24. Triggering Traps

In the car, heading back to his office to plan his next move, Mr Tien was on the phone. He had a lot to co-ordinate in order to keep his plans forging ahead.

The new skyscraper was going to be a project that would bring millions into his company, and more importantly into his bank account. By the time the building was filled, something he was confident he'd accomplish in only a couple of months, it would be bringing in millions in rent every month.

He had already managed to overcome many obstacles. He had managed to find a city zoning official up for re-election that was willing to rescind the park's protected status on the quiet. He had found a business official that was happy to sell the land to him quietly before anyone else had the chance or even knew that the land could be bought. He had even paid off the few newspapers and local TV and radio stations he didn't own to keep mention of the deal to a minimum in order to prevent anyone forming any kind of meaningful objection to the project. Now, in the most important move, he had paid top dollar for a work crew to bring the tree down and get work started early in the morning on the same weekend a major movie franchise was releasing its latest instalment in the hopes that he would already be started and any protest would be a moot point by the time anyone knew about it.

Unfortunately, it seemed there were SOME kids who had gone to the Ribbon Tree before his workmen could get there. There were now kids occupying the tree. He now had to get the problem contained and get rid of them before he could proceed. As rich and powerful as he was, even he would never survive the publicity shit storm if he cut down a tree while a bunch of kids were sitting in it!

His first calls were to local news crews to ensure that they would maintain their silence, to make sure that they concentrated on other stories. The last thing he needed was to risk more trouble-makers getting involved. Half a dozen kids would have to leave eventually; if more people got involved then they could operate in shifts, allowing people time to go home for food and rest. It would open up the potential of a lengthy battle. With only a few people, they could last a day or so at most. Best case scenario they could see the futility of standing in the way of progress and give up in a matter of hours.

He was now on the phone to get an update from his foreman, who let him know that the protesters had split up. There were still protesters in the tree, but others had left, and he was sure he had heard them say they were going to drum up support. Now that there were only two kids left, he hoped that like most kids he had seen would get bored or frustrated when they didn't get their way instantly and walk away. With the local news on blackout, the kids had limited means to get the word out, but he had already learned in the modern world there were still ways to be frustratingly quick at mobilising a protest.

"I don't care, I don't want excuses, I want it done, PERIOD!" Mr Tien snapped at the phone, slamming it down. Al and Preston were sitting either side of him. Al looked over to Preston, and could see the dejected look on his face. He had never met Mrs Tien, he didn't even know if she was still in the picture, but the more he saw Preston the more he was convinced he had to take after his mother. Between the snarling, torn-faced, petulant, overgrown baby he saw lashing out over people not giving him what he wanted just because he asked for it, and the young man that was so quiet, meek and perhaps too polite for his own good young man sitting next to him, looking beaten down and morose, the two couldn't have been more different as people.

"You really told him Mr Tien." Victor said, smiling brightly. Monty nodded, but he too looked thoroughly miserable, and almost sick with it. Al hadn't heard what Sarah had said to him, but whatever it was; Monty hadn't been the same since.

"That's the way to get things in this world, let people know what you want and that you want it now!" Mr Tien told him sagely. "I'm far too busy to waste time being polite."

"Yeah, because I always find the guy at Starbucks is SO quick to serve me when I talk to him like shit." Al muttered under his breath. Mr Tien either didn't hear him or completely ignored him. He just sighed and looked to Preston.

"This little stunt you and your friends are pulling is costing me a lot of money." Mr Tien told him. "Do you know those workmen have to get paid, even if they aren't actually working? Every hour your friends hold them up, I'm losing money."

"Dad, I think that the tree is important..."

"Trees are cut down every day, Preston, where do you think your shelving units or the desk in your room or the wood for that magic cabinet I bought you comes from?" Mr Tien asked him. He took off his sunglasses and shook his head as he took a deep breath. "I'm just glad your mom's not around to see this."

Victor, Monty and Al all recoiled hearing this.

"Dude!" Victor said under his breath, barely even audible over the sound of the car engine. Al couldn't help feeling for Preston. He now knew what had happened, or at least he now knew that his mom wasn't around any longer. Now, Mr Tien was using her memory as a weapon against his own son.

"Mr Tien, I don't think..."

"I don't think how I speak to my son is any of your business Mr Thompson!" Mr Tien snapped at him.

"Mr Tien, you dead-mom shamed your son to make a point?" Al said angrily. "I understand you're angry but that is...that's...I don't even think I can say what that is in front of these kids!"

"Well, what makes you think I want parenting advice from you?" Mr Tien asked him. "What was it? Two, three years you were unemployable?"

"Stop the car!" Al called out, knocking on the glass between them and the driver. The limo pulled over and Al went for the door. Mr Tien grabbed him.

"You're still on the clock Mr Thompson." Mr Tien reminded him.

"Respectfully Mr Tien, I think its best I take some personal time." Al told him, looking to Preston. "I have a feeling if I stay, I'll say something we'll both regret."

"Perhaps it's already too late for that." Mr Tien answered. Al just got out of the car and slammed the door. Mr Tien didn't dwell too much on this. He could deal with Al later; right now he was more concerned with his project. He leaned in towards Preston.

"Your mother was always supportive of me. She helped me build this business and I'm not about to let a bunch of teenagers who don't know the first thing about life or how to succeed tear it down." Mr Tien told him. "Son, I need you to get your friends out of that tree. Understood?"

He looked at Preston, who just nodded. This was an instinctive reaction for him by now. His dad had always been driven, he saw anyone objecting to him as an obstacle, as a foe to be crushed. He never wavered from his path and he never listened to anyone else, at least...he hadn't since Preston's mom had died. She was a calming influence on him, a peacemaker that would ease out the tension in a situation whenever it arose. When lung cancer took her from them all those years ago, it left a void in the family Preston wasn't sure could ever be filled.

"Understood?" Mr Tien reiterated. Preston now knew that he wasn't satisfied with a nod; he wanted to hear the words.

"I'll do it dad." Preston told him. "I'll ask my friends to leave."

"A Tien doesn't ASK son." He reminded him. "A Tien TELLS. I want them gone by the end of the day."

With that, he knocked on the glass to signal to the driver to stop and let Preston out. As the Blue Ranger closed the door, Mr Tien looked to Victor and Monty and smiled as though the last few minutes of conversation had been as mundane as a chat about the weather.

"So, who's hungry?" He asked. "I know a great sushi place nearby."

In the city, Sarah and Levi were handing out flyers. Levi had been kind enough to spring for some to be made up at a local copy place, who were more than happy to offer them a discount, charging for only 500 and giving them 1000 and even putting one up in their window. Sarah was sure that Levi's presence and the fact he spent a good few minutes taking selfies with the staff had a lot to do with that decision.

Brody had taken some and gone one way, while they had gone another, and they had spent the last hour handing them out wherever they could.

"See you at the Ribbon Tree." Sarah said cheerfully as she handed a flyer to a couple at a bus stop that she got a feeling only took the flyer as a way to get her to leave them alone and get back to their date. She rejoined Levi who was handing out a whole bunch to a crowd of teenage girls.

"There's a restaurant just up ahead, it'll be a great place to put up flyers." Levi told her.

"I don't think there is." Sarah said, looking around. She hadn't been in Summer Cove long, but she did know a reasonable bit of the area. She was sure that most of the local area was currently commercial properties.

"I'm telling you, there's a great place up ahead, I used to come here every time I was in Summer Cove. They do THE best hot dogs you have ever tasted!" He assured her. Sarah didn't look convinced. "I swear, follow me, it's just around..."

As they rounded the corner, they were confronted by an office block. Levi just looked completely confused.

"What? Where's the restaurant?" Levi asked, looking confused.

"I don't know Levi, but it looks like this building's been here a while." Sarah told him. He just started pointing to it, looking more irritated now than confused.

"No, I'm sure...I've been here dozens of times, it was right there!" He said, looking determined. He stopped a young guy, probably an intern of some description, walking out of the building with a long list that looked like a lunch order. "Sir, what happened to the restaurant here?"

"Restaurant?" He asked. "Dude, maybe there was a restaurant here...like ten or twelve years ago. This place has been an office since I was in Grade School."

Levi released the kid, who just walked away. Sarah could see the look on Levi's face and felt sorry for him. While he put a brave face on it, they knew he was still having issues with his memory after Madame Odious' conditioning.

"Levi, it's...it's alright to be confused." Sarah told him.

"I was so sure though." Levi told her. "I can remember having a birthday party here...I think...I had cake and hotdogs and..."

He let out a groan of frustration as he kicked a can down the street. He remembered the hotdogs and the cake, but he started to realise that was all he remembered now. It looked like just like other things, his memories were getting mixed up.

"Levi, we all know what Odious did to you, no one blames you for that." Sarah said sympathetically. "It's like...the other day I told Tom you didn't like board games."

"I don't." Levi responded.

"Tom said you never HAD board games." Sarah informed him. Levi leant against a wall and took a deep breath, his temper starting to build up. This was yet another thing that didn't add up in his own life. "You already told us you don't really remember much of anything before Tom's dad took you in. Maybe...maybe that relates to something from before you went to them?"

"That doesn't make any sense though; my autobiography just said I was on the streets as long as I remember before they found me." Levi commented her. "That witch scrambled my brains like well-cooked eggs. I swear if I get a shot at her..."

"Hey, it's alright." Sarah said sympathetically. "We'll help you figure it all out. Just...try not to let it get to you."

"It's easy for you to say, it's not you that can't even remember your own life." Levi grumbled.

"Oh, believe me, there are times I definitely wish I couldn't remember!" Sarah chuckled. "Come on, we've got more flyers to hand out!"

As they left though, Levi couldn't help looking back. He was so sure about that restaurant, how could he have gotten that so wrong?

Elsewhere, Brody was heading through a parking lot, putting flyers under car windshields. He knew that it was something that always irritated his dad, finding something under his windshield wiper when he came back after a trip to the stores, but there was one thing that was common, he always read what was there. Since cops and parking wardens generally put citations under windshield wipers, whenever someone saw something under their windshield wiper they would instinctively take it and read it to make sure they weren't being fined for something. He nodded in satisfaction.

"This ought to bring a few people out." He said, looking up to the billboard by the cinema. "The first showing should be breaking up any minute now."

Trapsaw watched from a dark corner as Brody continued on is way, putting up more flyers. He giggled like a child as he looked into the camera.

"The Red Ranger is walking right into one of my ingenious traps!" He declared proudly. "Look over there, any second now..."

Brody walked right across a large X painted on the ground. He actually stopped and looked down, looking at it curiously, before standing up and looking around. However, after a good minute or so with nothing happening, he just shrugged his shoulders and carried on his way. Trapsaw ran out of his hiding space as the Red Ranger walked away.

"What? It didn't work!" Trapsaw called out as the buzz-cam looked back to him for his reaction. He ran out into the street.

"HEY!" He yelled in frustration. "Come back here!"

Brody turned around to see Trapsaw. He could hardly believe he was seeing Ripperat, a monster he had already defeated twice, but before he could do anything, a massive wrecking ball swung from the side and straight into him, sending him flying way out of sight. Brody knew better than to just assume the monster was defeated and ran after him, searching for him. He found Trapsaw rolling around on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Aw, I messed it up again!" He whined. Brody now was completely confused. This didn't sound like Ripperat at all. He sounded more like a whining child.

"Ripperat?" He asked. "What was that, some kind of trap?"

"Obviously!" Trapsaw grumbled as he finally got back to his feet. "And I'm NOT Ripperat! He was my brother! I'm Trapsaw!"

"Brother?" Brody asked. "So...this is some kind of revenge thing?"

"You and your friends destroyed my brother." He called out. "TWICE!"

"So you thought you'd take us on?" Brody asked. "Seeing how well your trap worked that doesn't seem that smart."

"Oh, and I suppose you're just going to drop your grudge against Galvanax for what he did to your dad and your brother?" Trapsaw asked. Brody just nodded and shrugged. He couldn't argue with that point. He wasn't going to just forgive and forget Galvanax for what he did to his family, so it seemed only natural a monster would feel the same. "Now I'm going to destroy you and your friends for what you did to my brother..."

"You're making me look bad you fool!" Ripcon announced as he arrived, kicking Trapsaw straight up the backside. "I sent you on your revenge mission because I believed in you. Now I see you're incompetent! Get out of my sight! Find the other Rangers and deal with them!"

"I'll create another one of my ingenious traps!" Trapsaw cackled as he ran away, leaving Ripcon to confront Brody. The Red Ranger smiled.

"OK, now it makes a bit more sense." Brody commented. "You're using that monster and his grudge to get a re-match aren't you?"

"You catch on quick Red Ranger!" Ripcon announced as some buzz-cams flew into the area to capture the action. "It's finally time for me to finish you myself! I should have done this ten years ago!"

"You should have." Brody answered. "You might have beaten me when I was only eight. Now, you don't stand a chance! NINJA SPIN!"


	25. Pick Your Battles

Al was beginning to regret getting out of Mr Tien's car, at least...without really knowing where in the city he was. His own car was back at the office, and turned out that he was quite some distance from home. One of the perks he was given when he took the job with Mr Tien was a company car, and so he was completely lost with regards to the public transport system in Summer Cove. The bus and train timetables read more like they were the instructions for building an interstellar star ship than a timetable, and by observation on the weekends the timetable was more theoretical than anything else anyway. California by its very nature tended to build out more than they built up, since land was never really much of an issue, and so the State had evolved very much to the point where a car was virtually a necessity. That left him with the only real option being a very long walk.

He had his suit jacket slung over his shoulder, and she was looking around for somewhere to rest up for a moment while he refreshed his latest set of directions he had gotten a few blocks ago. Another unfortunate fact about California is that most of the cab companies didn't send cars out on the road to pick up random fares. The majority had to be phoned, and by virtue of having a car for most of his time in the city, he wasn't really familiar with the local cab numbers. He looked around for somewhere to stop for a couple of minutes, and his eyes rested on a bar. He put his hand on his hip and pondered his options for a moment.

"Typical." He muttered as he looked around seeing that this wasn't exactly the malt-shop kind of neighbourhood. It was the only business in the area that he could see that would let him get some kind of refreshment for the next leg of his trudge home. He headed inside, finding the place already starting to fill up. The screens seemed to be showing pre-game analysis of a baseball game between the Summer Cove Turtles and the Amber Beach Earthquake. People were already settling in for the game. Al had never really been a baseball kind of guy and really didn't care. All he wanted was something to drink, and some directions, or better yet, the barman to call him a cab. He walked up to the bar, setting his jacket over the stool and sitting down.

"What'll it be?" The barman asked.

"Do you have any lemonade?" He asked. The barman just snorted.

"Lemonade? I think you're in the wrong neighbourhood. Does this look like a wall-street place to you?" He asked. "We serve beer, we serve shots, we do coffee."

"Well I guess I'll have the..." Al was about to order a coffee, but he took one look at the machine which was not the usual silver or copper shade he'd expect it to be. It was kind of a grey, furry looking thing...like it had gathered a good layer of dust from lack of use. "Could I just have some iced water please?"

"I guess the suit is just for show then." The barman grunted, putting some ice in a glass and filling it with water. "Last of the big spenders huh?"

Al wasn't happy, but he didn't say anything about the comment. It wasn't like the first time he had heard it. A guy came over and ordered a round for his table.

"I ain't seen you around before." The man commented. It took Al a moment to realise that the man was talking to him. "You a quakes fan?"

"Baseball's not my thing." Al told him. The man was wearing a Turtles t-shirt, so he doubted telling him he was rooting for the other team was the way to go, and telling him that he was a fellow Turtles fan would likely only encourage the man to stay and talk more. He really didn't care for the game anyway, so the truth seemed like the best option. "I'm just in for a quick rest and a cab."

Yeah, you didn't look like this was your kind of place." The man answered. "Say, Eddie, how about a round of bourbons as well while you're at it?"

As the barman went to get other drinks, Al couldn't help finding his eyes resting on the beers already on the tray. His day was trying enough, and this was pretty much the last place he wanted to be. Mr Tien had been pressuring him for weeks now, but seeing the way he spoke to his own son was the last straw for Al. The sad fact was he had seen things like that before, and all he could think about was the life he had left behind for very good reasons.

Panorama City, 2010, it was a LONG time before, and Al was already a climbing talent in the city's leading Investment Brokers. The elevator opened and he stepped off, into the bullpen on the top floor, where the real artists of the game played. There was a huge cheer from the room as he stepped in, accepting it with a not-ironic-in-the-slightest bow. Most of his peers worked through lunch, not wanting to leave the office in a game where prices and markets could literally change from one minute to the next. Al though was an exception here, even among exceptions. In a room full of artists, he was Rembrandt, Da Vinci and Van Goch all rolled into one. He didn't just make portfolios grow; he made the numbers sing and dance!

"Man, I do NOT know how you do it!" One of his peers congratulated him as he handed him a bottle of Cristal. It was Champagne that cost about $200 a bottle, and they only broke it out whenever a deal broke target. Needless to say with Al around...that meant they drank it like it was lemonade! Corks stated to pop as he popped his own, chugging straight from the bottle. "Man, you earned more in your lunch break than most of these clowns did all day! What tipped you off to that company?"

"It helps when you send the guy that takes the minutes at their meetings a box of Cubans every month." Al told him with absolutely no hint of a lie. "The guy's a moron but his e-mails are really enlightening."

This was just one of the many secrets to Al's success. In the game, he cheated. Insider trading was illegal, but also extremely lucrative. By having an inside line on information that would not become public knowledge for weeks he was able to snap up stock for peanuts before the prices sky-rocketed.

"So you knew about the merger. You KNEW that they were talking a merger with Pittsburgh and you didn't tell anyone?" Another of the traders said as Al sat on his desk, chugging more of the bottle and wiping off his chin with his cuff. "That was so cold!"

"Hey, I didn't want anyone else getting the benefit." Al told them, before checking his watch. "Alright, now it's time for the best part...dump the bitch! Jerry, stop shoving that shit up your nose and get on that phone! Everyone get on your phones, I do NOT want to see a single share on our portfolio within the hour! Anyone who still has stock picks up the bar tab!"

"Wait, what?" One of them shrieked. "Al...It's been going up all week! It's just hit 800..."

"And in about an hour's time the announcement's going to go out that the merger fell through a week ago!" Al told them. "Get on the phones now, because by close of market, those stocks are going to be worth less than a roll of Charmin!"

Everyone immediately rushed to their phones and hit up every contact they knew. This was one of the biggest scams in the market, a 'pump and dump'. By pushing and promoting a product with misinformation the price could be artificially inflated, meaning that by the time the truth came out, people would have paid huge amounts of money for stock that was essentially worthless. It was like telling someone they were buying a Ferrari only for them to find out that it was really a Skoda with no wheels and no engine. Al's insider had told him that the meeting was discussing what to do about the failed merger and that the company was on the verge of complete bankruptcy. They were only deciding how many offices they needed to close and how many people they were going to have to lay off. They were hoping that just the mere rumours of the merger would keep their stock prices high enough to pull the pump and dump themselves, but Al had gotten in there first. He smiled as he picked up the phone.

"Arthur, its Al, your advisor." Al said with a little smirk as he chugged more champagne. "I have a high-risk option you do NOT want to miss! Trust me; your 401K will thank me!"

Back in the present in Summer Cove, Ripcon and Brody were giving the audience in the Warrior Dome the show of a lifetime. In what was quickly becoming one of the hottest rivalries in the show, Ripcon was eager to end the Red Ranger once and for all. He didn't care about Trapsaw, or whether or not he was successful in his own mission. So far, all he had done is legitimise him going down without Ripcon specifically scheduling the battle.

Their blades sparked as they clashed, both of them channelling all their power into their attacks. Brody formed his Morpher into Blade Mode to counter Ripcon's dual blades. Brody launched himself into the air, avoiding a swipe that put Ripcon off-balance, before bringing a powered-up blade right down across him.

"Remember when I cut off your horn?" Brody taunted him. "I've only gotten BETTER since then!"

He tried to follow up, but Ripcon was quick to block him. Brody used his crossed swords as a springboard to back-flip away, landing some way from Ripcon. He transformed his morpher into bow mode and started firing energy arrows.

Ripcon could see the improvement in the Red Ranger, his fight now was indeed much harder than before. That said, Ripcon had defeated monsters that were single-handedly capable of wiping out entire populations. The last time Brody had only defeated him with the aid of his friends, and right now he was alone, with none of the others in sight. As Ripcon batted the laser arrows out of the air, swatting them away like troublesome bugs, he summoned up all the power he could.

"Yes, you have grown stronger!" Ripcon commented. "But not strong enough!"

"Try saying that in about three seconds." Brody told him. Ripcon looked around, realising that the energy arrows had not disappeared. They all started to glow brightly, before exploding. Ripcon screamed out as he was burned by the fireball. Brody was still standing there, admiring his handiwork when the flames dissipated.

"You...you survived that?" Brody gasped. He had grown stronger, and that was one of his latest tricks. He was perfectly confident that Ripcon would be able to bat away a few arrows, but he was also sure he wouldn't pay enough attention to realise that wasn't the real attack. Unfortunately that was also one of Brody's most powerful new plays...and Ripcon was still standing!

"As I was saying before I was so RUDELY interrupted!" Ripcon snarled, causing Brody to start to back up slowly. "I should have done this ten years ago!"

Brody saw him hold his swords out to the side and dark energy start to form up along the blades. He had seen Ripcon do this many times, he had even been on the receiving end once, but he was sure that now Ripcon wouldn't be going at it with kid gloves. His only option was to do the one thing that Ripcon wouldn't expect. Ripcon would be watching him closely for an attempt to find cover and hide, or he would be expecting him to summon up all his strength to block. Brody's only hope was to cross the twenty feet of open ground between them and take Ripcon out of his attack before it came. He clipped his element star onto his sword.

"Say your prayers Rat Bait." Ripcon told him. "Beg for mercy if you'd like."

"I'll NEVER beg!" Brody roared as he broke into a run. Ripcon saw him coming, but his power was already building. He was committed to the attack. All he could hope was that he was a little faster than Brody was.

"Double-blade DOOM STRIKE!" He called out.

"STEEL SLASH!" Brody roared as he fell upon him. "FINAL STRIKE!"

They both collided and an explosion went off that blinded and deafened them both. The first Brody knew that he was still alive was when his vision finally started to return and he was lying on the ground about thirty feet away. He could see that Ripcon was also down, but that he was stirring. He considered his options, knowing that finishing him now would rid them of a powerful enemy, but also knowing that his own power was all but gone. If he underestimated Ripcon now, then he would hand-deliver his Power Star straight to him on a silver platter. He reverted to his instincts which were built on his training. If in doubt, it was always better to retreat and come back when the strategic advantage had shifted in favour of the ninja. He de-morphed, knowing he'd need every ounce of his strength for a technique he had only seen his dad use but had never had a chance to try. Concentrating, he ninja-streaked out of sight before Ripcon was on his feet.

Ripcon looked around, finding no sign of the Red Ranger. While he would have liked to believe that he had perished in the blast, he knew better than to suspect there would be no evidence left of his demise. When his father, a ninja far more powerful than Brody had been destroyed by the mighty Galvanax, the Ninja Power Stars had not been so much as scratched. Even with his ego Ripcon knew that he couldn't destroy the star, and it was nowhere in sight, which could only mean Brody had escaped and taken it with him. He let out a huge cry of rage that echoed for miles.

A short way off, Brody caught his breath, watching as Ripcon disappeared.

"He's...he's way tougher than I thought." Brody commented to himself. He knew Ripcon was powerful, but he had allowed himself to believe that the reason he didn't fight often on the show and rumours on the ship abounded he was planning on retiring was because he was past his best and was starting to weaken. The fact that Brody barely escaped with his life meant either Ripcon was still as powerful as he had always been, or even in the twilight of his career he was still immensely powerful. If the latter was true, Brody didn't even want to consider what he would have been like in his prime. "I need to warn the others about that other monster."

With that, he started to make his way for the Ribbon Tree, knowing that was where they were all headed eventually.

Back at the bar, Al finished his water, and he slid the glass back to the bartender.

"Can you call me a cab?" Al asked him.

"So you'll pay for a cab, but not a decent drink?" The barman scoffed. He picked up the phone and started to dial. Al noticed a crowd starting to head past the window, all carrying signs and chanting something about the Ribbon Tree. He got up and headed to the window.

He didn't know how they had done it, but it seemed Sarah and her friends had managed to get the word out, and that soon they were going to get support. He saw one of the signs held by a kid no older than three years old being carried by his mother declaring that the future was more important than profit. It was a sentiment Al knew all too well.

Panorama City, 2011, Al went down in the elevator, finding himself in the parking garage of his firm. He walked in a slightly shuffling gate, tossing back some champagne as he stepped off, before smashing the bottle on the ground. He headed out into the parking garage, clicking his key fob and heard his car bleep. He was going over, and was about to get in when he heard someone behind him.

"Do you really think driving home is a good idea?" He heard a woman say. He looked to her and the man beside her. They were both dressed in suits. Al just sighed.

"Traffic cops sure dress to impress in this part of town." He said sarcastically. They both pulled out identification. "I guess I was going to put stuff in the trunk before calling a cab, not that it's any of your business. I guess I've had a heavy afternoon. My firm's had a big day."

This was a complete lie; he had every intention of driving home. Of course, with the demeanour of these two strangers, he knew better than to admit that. He could smell feds a mile away, and he knew better than to give them any excuse. They both pulled out ID.

"Federal Exchange Commission." The woman identified herself. "Can we see inside your car please?"

"Well that depends." Al answered, sitting on the trunk and folding his arms. "Do you have a warrant signed by a judge?"

"This is a polite request." The woman answered. "Do we really need one?"

"Well, since you are asking to search my personal property...yes, I believe it is." Al said rather arrogantly. The woman and her companion did not look at all amused.

"If you've got nothing to hide..."

"Well that's the thing, you're the ones that need to prove I have anything to hide now aren't you?" Al interrupted him. "Now, do you want to harass me some more or do I have to remind you that this is private property and get security to ask you to leave?"

"Listen asshole, this firm is the biggest collection of crooks in the whole city!" The man snapped at him.

"You know, I know when I'm talking to the pet and not the owner so why don't you quieten down there junior while the adults talk?" Al dismissed the man, before turning this attention to the woman. "You know you might want to talk to your boyfriend here about a little thing called slander. Unfounded allegations can get you into a lot of trouble."

"This firm has made record profits and also received more complaints than any other financial firm in the city's history." The woman told him.

"Welcome to Capitalism!" Al said with a smirk, swaying a little as he over-extended on his gesture thanks to the three bottles of champagne he had already drunk that day. "People get jealous of the successful."

"A lot of the people you sell to are trusting you with their future, with their hard-earned money." The woman told him. "Teachers, cops, store workers...a lot of them have watched their savings disappear in a matter of minutes."

"You ARE aware that the stock market is a gamble right?" Al responded. "Shares go up, shares go down. I don't put a gun to anyone's head. If they can't afford to lose, they shouldn't gamble."

"A lot of these people have families! A lot of the savings you and your buddies upstairs have swindled was to help their kids! Don't you think about these people at all?" The woman asked him, looking at him judgementally.

"Every single day." Al answered as he hopped off the hood and took off his jacket, slinging it over his shoulder. "I think about them when I realise that by the time MY daughter is finished High School, she can pick any college she wants, and after that? I'll be able to buy her first home. She'll start out never having a penny of debt to repay for any of it. Those people have bought that future for me and my family and for that, I thank them."

"So you've got yours and fuck everyone else?" The man growled at him. "You're a real asshole Thompson!"

"Maybe, but fortunately there's no law against that." Al replied as he walked away. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm just going to get a cab. Have a pleasant evening!"

He pulled out his cell phone as he was walking away and smiled.

"Ellie, it's me. Sorry, but I'll be home a little late." Al told her. He looked to the irritated agents still fuming over his attitude. He waved to them. "Yeah, I'm getting a cab. I'll be home when I can."

With that, he put his phone away and headed for the bar across the street for a quick nightcap and a cab home.


	26. Grassroots Protest

Hayley was sending more tweets from her phone about the Ribbon Tree, trying to concentrate as Calvin shuffled and shifted uncomfortably. He started groaning as he did so. Hayley just sighed.

"I swear to God Calvin..."

"I can't help it!" Calvin moaned, looking down at the workmen gathered around the tree. They had food and drink down there, and they were getting paid while they were waiting to get started so they were happy enough to sit and wait for further instructions from Mr Tien. For Hayley and Calvin though...there were a few other issues.

"Well Calvin, that is what'll happen when you pound for Fantas with your lunch." She told him. "I'm holding it in and you don't see me complaining."

"Maybe I could just..."

"You are NOT doing that here Calvin Maxwell!" She warned him. "The others should be back soon. You can find a bush or something when they get back!"

"Well they better get back soon." Calvin grumbled. Just then, they noticed a couple of people arriving from further down the park.

"There they are now!" Hayley told him.

"Thank God for that." Calvin answered as they both jumped down to meet Levi and Sarah who were just returning from canvassing the city with flyers. As they arrived, they looked a little disappointed though.

"Where is everybody?" Sarah asked.

"Nobody showed up?" Levi asked in response.

"Nope, no one except you." Hayley said, sounding disappointed. Calvin though was too busy already running off to relieve himself.

"How could that be? We put up a couple of hundred flyers!" Sarah protested. Even although she wasn't from Summer Cove and had only known about the landmark since that morning, she had been quick to understand the significance of it. It had been there since the town was founded, and had thousands of ribbons on it from all sorts of people for all sorts of reasons. It had literally over a century of people's dreams and accomplishments pinned to it. "How could no one care that Mr Tien wants to cut it down?"

"Guys!" Brody called out as he arrived, looking a little bruised and battered. He was exhausted from his long run. "I just ran into Ripcon."

"Ripcon? Are you OK?" Sarah asked him. He just nodded in response.

"I'll live." He answered. "But he sent a monster. We need to keep an eye out for it."

"Great, just what we need." Hayley muttered. "Remember when the bad guys stuck to the rules and only attacked on a Friday?"

"Hey Brody." Calvin said as he got back. "What happened? What'd I miss?"

"Ripcon, monster, the usual." Brody told him.

"I thought the bad guys only attacked on Friday." Calvin commented.

"Well not anymore apparently." Sarah complained, throwing up her hands. "Now if that monster shows up, we have to leave. Mr Tien will cut down this tree for sure if that happens!"

"Uh...did you guys put up flyers?" Preston asked as he arrived. He had walked all the way back to the park after his conversation with his dad. He knew that he would never give up on what he wanted, no matter who tried to talk him out of it. Preston had learned the futility of trying to convince his father of any point of view other than his own long ago. The only reason his dad still bought his supplies for his magic tricks was because it kept Preston out the way while he was trying to work, but he hadn't made any secret of the fact he thought it was nonsense and something he sincerely hoped Preston grew out of.

"Yeah, we did." Sarah told him. "Did you talk to your dad?"

"Yeah, I did." Preston said sadly. It was all he could think about now. He was almost glad that it seemed no one else had shown up. It would give him a bit more credibility in what he had to say next. He turned to them, looking completely morose. "Listen...clearly no one else cares about this. We're the only ones that do and...we can't stay here forever. Maybe we should just give up on this tree."

The others all looked shocked that Preston would suggest this. He was the one that had suggested their Ranger Ribbon in the first place, in a way; he was the one that started their crusade. Sarah looked to him sadly.

"Preston, that's your dad talking, not you." She said softly. He hated to see the way she looked at him. She was sympathetic, she was warm, she was supportive...it killed him to think that he was letting her down by giving up. In a lot of ways it would almost have been easier if she'd been angry with him. The disappointment was so much worse; it hit him right to his core.

"The thing is...maybe dad has a point." Preston said with a shrug. "I mean, people need jobs and places to stay right?"

"Preston, I drive past about a dozen for-sale signs on my way to school." Hayley told him. "If there's one thing Summer Cove doesn't need its more housing. Not high-priced flats most of the people in the city can afford anyway that's for sure."

"And there's plenty of work if people look for it." Calvin told him. "The classifieds are always full."

"I mean...it's just a tree...and it's just a park right?" Preston asked.

"Yeah, and if we say that about all the parks, sooner or later we won't have any left." Levi reminded him. "Not to mention his tree's been here a lot longer than any of us have. It kind of has a right to be here by now."

"Maybe." Preston mumbled as he sat on the ground. "But my dad's never going to listen to us. The only person he ever listened to was my mom."

"I can't believe he doesn't understand what makes this tree so special." Levi commented. It was only then that they became aware of a sound carrying on the breeze. It sounded like voices, a lot of voices, and they were becoming louder and coming closer. As they turned to see what it was, Calvin quietly slipped away. They all smiled as they saw a large group of people marching up the hill towards the tree. They were carrying signs and chanting.

"Save our Ribbon Tree, Save our Ribbon Tree!" They chanted over and over again as they arrived, starting to form up at the base of the tree.

"I can't believe it, it worked! People came!" Sarah gasped as she watched them form up. They could already see something changing among the workmen. When it was only a couple of kids protesting, it was just a simple case of waiting them out, but now with a significant presence, it would be a much longer and protracted process. They were hoping the kids would get tired or bored and leave on their own, but bolstered by the crowd, the siege was looking a lot more complicated.

"They care! They really do care!" Preston said with a smile, suddenly becoming encouraged once more. They were so overwhelmed by the response that none of them noticed Mr Tien had returned with his new interns, Victor and Monty.

"So, you found some other trouble makers! I don't care! This tree is still coming down!" Mr Tien declared. "All you're doing is delaying the inevitable! None of you care about what I do for this town, all the money I bring in, all the jobs I provide...You're just here for some new cause of the week. None of you cared when I put out the notices the work was starting!"

He stepped forward, looking at his son and taking a deep breath.

"I'm very disappointed in you Preston." He told him flatly. "You and your friends will have to learn your lesson the hard way. CUT IT DOWN!"

They looked to the crew, who all stood, looking more than a little unsure. Mr Tien was the one paying them, but with a whole bunch of protesters gathered around, they were suddenly more than a little concerned about the fact they were no longer just trying to scare off a bunch of kids. Mr Tien looked to the foreman.

"I said, CUT! IT! DOWN!"

"But boss...all these people..."

"If you have a problem doing what I pay you for, then fine!" He announced, snatching the chainsaw off him. "If you want something done, you have to do it yourself it seems!"

"NO!" Preston said, summoning up all the courage he had in himself. "Dad, you can't do this!"

"Preston, get out of the way!" Mr Tien warned him.

"No dad! I can't do that!" Preston said defiantly. "All of these people came here because it isn't just a part of this city; it's a part of them! You only have to look at all these ribbons to know that!"

"He's right." They heard someone else say. They all looked around as Al arrived.

"Dad?" She asked. He just nodded as he arrived.

"Mr Thompson, you more than any of them should realise that progress..."

"Destroying something that defines people like this is NOT progress!" Al told him. He looked around the people standing before them. "I haven't been in this city long, but it's been good to me and my family, and I'll admit that I didn't know about this tree until today, but looking at all these ribbons, each one a triumph or a landmark moment in someone's life, I know that this tree is as much a part of the heart that makes this city what it is as any one of you!"

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a ribbon.

"That's why I want to hang my own." He told them. "I am an alcoholic, and as of this year, I'll be three years sober!"

He went to Sarah, gently placing a hand on her face.

"I almost lost everything that mattered, but my family found it in their hearts to forgive me and stand by me for everything I put them through. It's because of them that I'm the man I am today, a man I can finally say I'm proud to be." Al told them. "And this city, this city accepted me as one of their own, and that makes you my family too!"

"Get out of my way, this is MY property!" Mr Tien stated. "I don't care about all of your sentimental nonsense! This is progress! You can't save every tree!"

"But maybe we should save THIS tree." Preston told him. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked around, seeing Calvin standing next to him.

"I think there's someone here that would agree with that. Someone you will listen to." Calvin said as he returned to the team. He walked up to Mr Tien, holding out a ribbon. "I found this while I was sitting up there."

Mr Tien snatched the ribbon off Calvin petulantly, unconvinced that any sentimental tripe would convince him that the tree shouldn't become the worlds' largest pot pourri bowl. He dropped the chainsaw and weakened at the knees, needing to be caught by Victor as he almost fell to the ground. He held the ribbon in his hands, and tears started to form in his eyes as he read it.

"January Third 2001." He read aloud. "Marcus and Ellen Tien love their new son...Preston."

He stood in silence for a moment, staring at it. He looked up to Preston, his lip trembling.

"That's...that's you and mom." Preston said, surprised to see that. His dad had been so distant, so cold since Preston's mom had passed, he almost couldn't remember a time when he was anything other than cold, distant or angry. He could barely remember him being sentimental about anything.

"We...we came past here when we brought you home from the hospital." He said, struggling to hold in his tears from the memory. "I ruined my best suit, and I got so many splinters climbing up to put this there...I've...I've buried so much since we lost your mom...I should have listened to you!"

Preston grabbed his father in a tight hug, seeing that he was in dire need of it. He held Preston tightly as he sobbed.

"You've got so much of your mother in you! I've always admired that!" He sobbed into Preston's shoulder. "Thank you for making me see this...I love you son!"

"I love you too dad!" Preston replied as he held him. The crowd started to cheer and applaud as they witnessed this. Sarah grabbed her dad, hugging him tightly, a gesture he was only too happy to return. Mr Tien finally parted from his son, with a new conviction in his heart. He gripped his ribbon tightly in his hand and held it up high.

"I'm going to donate this land to the city on the condition that it be protected as a city park!" He announced. "As long as I have something to say about it, this tree is going to be here a long, long time! With EVERY LAST RIBBON!"

The whole crowd was elated to hear this, cheering loudly. Even the workmen seemed happy as they started to pack up their gear, realising that the job was now effectively done.

"You did it Preston!" Sarah squealed as she ran across, hugging him tightly. Al though could only look to Mr Tien as their children hugged. He made his way over, at which he took a deep breath. He looked to him as Mr Tien realised he was there, and his face suddenly went a lot colder.

"Mr Tien..."

"Save your breath." Mr Tien told him. "I expect loyalty from my employees."

"Mr Tien..."

"Don't bother coming in Monday." Mr Tien told him. "I'll have your things sent to you."

Al just watched him go to rejoin his son. He had foreseen something like this, in fact he had already made up his mind that he couldn't be the kind of person Mr Tien wanted him to be and had already made the decision to resign. The only difference this made, aside from salving Mr Tien's likely bruised ego, was that he was now entitled to a severance package. Al shook his head. The fact he no longer had a job was a problem, but between his savings and his severance, he at least had a few weeks before it would be a major issue. For now, he was just happy to see his daughter happy with her friends.

The moment was interrupted as power blasts were fired, causing people to scream and start running. Looking up, the Rangers could see Kudabots up nearby trees, taking pot shots into the crowd. Al started desperately looking around for Sarah, only to be hit with a blast, falling to the ground unconscious.

"DAD!" Sarah shrieked, before letting out a hellish yell and rushing straight for the Kudabot snipers, ploughing into them with a fury none of the others had ever seen in her.

"I guess we knew this was coming!" Calvin said as the Rangers rushed to the attack, fighting off the robots to allow people to escape. In the confusion, Mr Tien didn't know what to do. His own staff and security had already fled, and people were running in all directions.

He could see Preston and his friends fighting with these robots, taking them down while everyone else ran away. He looked to his son and could hardly believe what he was seeing. Preston had never been a fighter, not as far as he knew. He couldn't begin to think where Preston would even learn such things. He knew he didn't pay much attention to his son, and he was starting to wonder how much about him he didn't know.

He suddenly looked around as he saw Trapsaw coming.

"Aw, I set a trap nearby and nobody's falling into it!" Trapsaw lamented as he looked around the battleground. "I'll bet it's got something to do with this stupid tree! I guess I'll just have to cut it down!"

Mr Tien could see his son and his friends who had all fought so hard already to protect this tree still fighting now. He could see they were already busy and was suddenly overcome with a desire to help. He stood between Trapsaw and the Ribbon Tree.

"You better not touch this tree!" Mr Tien yelled at him. Trapsaw's blades started to whirl as he powered them up, advancing on the older man.

"You're willing to die for a tree? I can live with that." Trapsaw chuckled. "I guess I'll just have to cut you down too!"

"BACK OFF!" Preston screamed furiously, leaping in the way and kicking Trapsaw away from his dad. Mr Tien watched as his son stood defiantly, in defence of him while the others finished off their opponents and joined him.

"You're all so brave!" He gasped in awe as Trapsaw got up, but saw the odds had turned against them.

"Forget your stupid tree, I'm out of here!" Trapsaw declared as he ran away.

"You're not getting away that easy!" Brody answered as the Rangers started to run after him.

"PRESTON!" He called after his son.

"Dad, you can't help with this!" Preston told him.

"People are hurt here Mr Tien!" Sarah called back. "If you want to help, help them!"

Mr Tien didn't even know where to begin with that. He had no first aid training, and he was certainly no doctor, but seeing people hurt, he looked to the few workmen that were still around.

"You there! Empty the trucks!" Mr Tien called out to them; going to the first person he found lying on the ground, trying to pick him up. "Help me get these people onto them!"

"Mr Tien..."

"I'll pay you all whatever it takes! These people need a hospital!" He interrupted the foreman. "Help me with them!"

With that, anyone who was still around that was healthy enough to help started unloading all the tools and materials from the trucks, intending to use them as makeshift ambulances. One of the other workmen helped Mr Tien with the first victim, grabbing Al's legs and helping to lift him.


	27. The Big Gamble

Trapsaw was running away, running for his life. His traps had failed, and the Rangers were stronger than he ever anticipated. Ripcon had assured him he would take care of the Red Ranger, but since he had seen him at the site of the tree, that meant Ripcon had to have failed. If Ripcon couldn't take him down, what chance did he have?

"Those Rangers didn't fall into my trap!" He whined as he got to a nearby refinery. "I need somewhere to hide! Ripcon is going to roast me for this!"

He got to the refinery, but unfortunately found himself running straight into a dead end. He turned to try and backtrack, hoping to find somewhere else to run to, but he was confronted by the Rangers.

"Uh...hi...um...I...I...was just um..."

"There's nowhere left to run!" Sarah warned him. "It looks like your friends have abandoned you."

"I'm sure they're going to send me some help any minute now!" Trapsaw told them confidently. "Ripcon told me he'd help me get revenge on you for..."

"Revenge?" Calvin asked. "Is this about that other one that looks like this guy?"

"Ripperat, yes." Brody explained. "He was his brother."

"You DO know that Ripperat attacked us right?" Hayley asked. "We were well within our rights to defend ourselves."

"On the other hand, those people did nothing to you!" Sarah continued. "You hurt my dad!"

"He got in my way!" Trapsaw answered. "And I'm sure my back-up will be arriving right about...NOW!"

The Rangers all looked around the area as he said this. There was no bright light, there was no sudden rush of soldiers, there was...nothing. If it wasn't for the fact that Trapsaw had attacked innocent people, the Rangers would almost have felt sorry for him. The only thing missing was a laugh track.

"What? Where is everyone?" He complained.

"I'll give you a step for a hint. Ripcon never cared if you got what you wanted!" Brody told him. "He only chose you because you were so pathetic that he would get sent to help you. He only wanted another crack at me. Now you've served your purpose, you're a loose end, only he can't be bothered cutting that himself."

"No, he's leaving that to us." Sarah added. "And I'm only too happy to oblige! NINJA SPIN!"

With that, the Rangers all morphed and fell upon Trapsaw as the cameras started to capture the action. Cosmo was watching from the studio, where the audience were in stitches watching Trapsaw's pitiful attempts to fight back.

"Never let it be said we don't have a flair for entertainment in all its forms." Cosmo stated as he kept an eye on his ratings. While he was pulling in strong numbers, he couldn't help noticing that they were still well below what he would have got from another broadcast. Ripcon had a lot to answer for, and Cosmo was determined to make sure he paid. He just had to figure out how to do it in the way that benefitted him the most.

Over at the hospital, Mr Tien arrived with his trucks, carrying the injured from the park into the loading area. There were a few doctors and nurses outside taking a break as the trucks all rolled in. Mr Tien leapt out of the truck as they started to swarm around them.

"We've got a lot of injured people here..."

"I'm sorry sir; you're going to have to move these trucks." One of the doctors told him.

"I'll happily move the trucks but first you need to attend to these people." He responded.

"What the...where did all these people come from?" One of them asked.

"They were at a protest at my site..."

"Wait, your people did this to them?" Another asked. Mr Tien recoiled.

"What? NO! You really think we did this?" Mr Tien asked them.

"Well..."

"Listen, I don't care what you think of me, these people need help." Mr Tien responded.

"You heard the man." One of them replied, throwing his coffee cup away. "These people need help; we can catch a break later!"

They brought a gurney over, unloading Al onto it. He still hadn't regained consciousness. He was badly burned from a shot from a blaster.

"Alright, this guy's in a bad way, his heartbeat's weak." He said, checking on Al. "I need a full work-up on this guy right now. We might need to get him into an OR."

"Is it really that serious?" Mr Tien asked.

"Put it this way, I hope this guy's a lucky gambler." The doctor replied honestly.

2011, Al walked into the office, heading straight to the refreshment station where there was coffee, bagels, donuts and other assorted snacks waiting. Not only did the company like to ensure their investors were able to get breakfast, throughout the day other refreshments would be put out. Considering the fact that on this floor their employees regularly brought in thousands, even millions of dollars in a matter of hours, they were keen to keep them in the office and at their desks! Al walked up, seeing where one of his colleagues was taking his morning "refreshment." Given the high-speed and high-pressure nature of investments, it wasn't uncommon for investors to take a little chemical assistance to fire them up. In the 80's especially the cocaine culture was so common that many firms simply ignored the fact that many of their investors had significant habits.

"You know that stuff's not good for you Jerry." Al told him as he took out a key, unlocking the liquor cabinet and pouring himself a vodka and coke. Jerry Goodwill was another of the investors with the company, one that was a good few years older than him. Jerry had been something of a mentor to Al, taking him under his wing when he first came into the company. He was a white-haired man with a white moustache, one that some joked was probably really white if he washed all the coke out of it. "How's the family?"

"Living in the lifestyle to which they've become accustomed thanks to us." He responded, wiping off his nose. "Melanie chucked that boyfriend of hers, thank God. I was starting to get worried this was one of those teen rebellion 'my dad doesn't pay enough attention to me' things."

"Was he really that bad?" Al asked.

"He dressed like a clown! He looked like he had career options in mucking out animal enclosures or sweeping road kill." Jerry answered. "And that name...who the hell names their kid Spike?"

"I'm sure it's just a nickname..."

"No, apparently that's what's on his birth certificate! That's the name on the school register for him!" Jerry told him. Al just shrugged.

"I'm sure his parents are interesting people." He answered. "So, ready for the day ahead?"

"I'm ready to plan our retirement fund." Jerry told him, gesturing Al in closer. Al checked around to see no one was listening, before pulling in closer. "Have you heard of Yaxley Investments."

"I've heard the name." Al said, taking a sip of his drink. "What about them?"

"They're selling like wildfire, they're plugging their stock for nothing, but the returns are off the scale!" Jerry said, looking completely energised by all of this. "Their returns are coming off way in excess of nine hundred percent!"

"Do you have an in?" Al asked him, becoming interested.

"You remember Beatson?" He asked him.

"Sure I remember Beatson. He works for them?" Al continued with his questioning, interested to see where this was going. Jerry smiled.

"He's been in constant contact with me. He's been showing me the figures, they're unbelievable!" Jerry announced. "He's even able to get us a discount if we buy a million shares."

"Yaxley...what EXACTLY do they do?" Al asked him. Jerry just laughed.

"Who the hell cares for a nine hundred percent return?" He asked him.

"Jerry...this sounds like a Ponzi Scheme." Al told him, suddenly becoming a little sceptical. A Ponzi Scheme was a common form of investor fraud that worked purely on investment. Promising large returns, the way it worked was encouraging a lot of investors to put money in, and in return getting them to encourage others to invest as well.

The problem was, Ponzi Schemes largely worked by virtue of using the money from new investors to pay for the returns of the earlier investors instead of through standard business practices. Companies that weren't actually generating profits or even manufacturing any products could still promise massive returns as long as people kept investing. In short, the scheme only worked as long as new people were investing since that was the only source of revenue. Needless to say, that business model was doomed to failure and eventually the whole thing would collapse, leaving considerable amounts of investors out of pocket, especially the most recent investors.

"Of course it's a God damned Ponzi scheme! Beatson's been trying to burn me for years since I sold him a dummy on that Iceland thing." Jerry told him. "But Beatson's always been a lousy bluffer. You and I can read him like a book blindfolded! We'll know he's about to pull the plug long before he does it! Of course going into it knowing that, you and I can buy up as much as possible and cash out before the whole thing turns up its toes!"

"There's only one problem. I don't know about you but I don't have the money available to buy those shares." Al told him. "My stuff's tied up right now."

"So's mine." Jerry smirked. "Of course our investors' isn't."

Al looked around to make sure no one had come by to hear this. Now what Jerry was proposing wasn't just illegal, it was the kind of thing that carried serious prison time. He was talking about using other people's money to buy stock for THEM.

"Jerry, that's pretty..."

"Ballsy? Tell me about it!" Jerry answered. "But it's kind of a buzz right?"

"Jerry, I'm all for a gamble but..."

"Al, have some God-damned faith in yourself!" Jerry told him. "We'll cash out by the New Year! We'll have everyone's money back in their pension funds before they even notice it's gone, and with a nice little bit of change on top! They'll be made up!"

Al gulped down the rest of his drink, before pouring himself another. Jerry had his coke; Al had his own way of getting himself worked up for the hard-sell ahead. He thought about it. It would be the ultimate payoff. He mulled it over as he took another sip and nodded.

"No one else can know what we're doing." He declared.

"You mean...?"

"Get on the phone to Beatson." Al told him. "Tell him he'll have his stake by the end of the day."

Back at the site of the battle, the Rangers were taking Trapsaw to task. The monster was strong, but it was clear pretty quickly that his brother really was the brains in the family. He bumbled and flailed around in a manner that looked like he was more of a danger to himself than anyone else. If it wasn't for the fact he and his compatriots had hurt so many people, Sarah's dad included, they would almost have felt sorry for him. Of course right now, that pity was not forthcoming, especially from the Pink Ranger.

As he was thrown back by one of her strikes, the Rangers all formed up a firing line. Preston, Sarah, Brody, Hayley and Calvin all transformed their morphers into Bow Mode while Levi called up his Rockstorm Blaster.

"Alright, take aim!" Sarah announced. "FIRE!"

They all opened fire, hitting him repeatedly. Sarah's energy arrow struck Trapsaw square in the face, before exploding. They all watched as the monster disappeared in a massive explosion. Brody stepped forward.

"Show's over, Ninjas WIN!" He declared. Preston came over to Sarah and put his arm around her.

"Are you alright?" He asked her.

"I will be." She muttered. "As soon as I check on my dad."

"We'll get you there as soon as possible." Brody assured her.

Meanwhile, up on the Warrior Dome, Cosmo was watching, and the audience was too as the footage came back. Thanks to Wrench and a few choice sound effects from the production team, the footage of Trapsaw's 'fight' was going over a storm with his limited audience. There were monsters falling out of their seats, tears streaming down their faces at his pathetic attempts to take on the Rangers. Cosmo wheeled out his control unit and confronted the audience with their usual choice.

"So, what do you say? Do we want to see more of Trapsaw's routine? Or has the punch line worn thin?" He asked. His hand was hovering over the button for the Skullgator command, in preparation for the audience needing a little carnage in their broadcast after the farce that was the rest of the show. However, despite all the laughter, he was amazed as the votes came in quickly and the meter rose incredibly quickly. It hit the gigantify threshold before he could do anything to try and discourage it.

"Wrench, what the hell is going on?" He asked through his headpiece.

"I don't know...the audience like him!" Wrench told him.

"They...they like that...LOSER?" Cosmo asked. "But he's an IDIOT! He's PATHETIC!"

"I don't know what else to tell you, they voted for him!" Wrench answered. Cosmo stopped to ponder his position. He doubted that Trapsaw would suddenly turn around and gain a measure of competence now, but the only option he had was to over-rule the audience, something that had never been done before on his show. If he did that, then he risked the audience starting to doubt that they were in control of the show...of course they WEREN'T, but a large part of the show's success was the fact that they THOUGHT they were! He gulped and decided he had no option but to bite the bullet. He could exact his repayment from Ripcon's hide when he got back.

"You asked for it folks, and you're the ones who run the show!" He declared, slamming his hand down on the green button. "GIGANTIFY!"

Back at the hospital, Mr Tien was sitting outside the Operating Room while the doctors worked on Mr Thompson. He barely even noticed as Victor and Monty arrived.

"Sir." Victor greeted him, causing him to look up. "Sir..."

"Is everyone else alright?" Mr Tien asked them. Monty just nodded.

"It's mostly minor injuries. A few people will have to be here for a while, but most of them will probably be sent home by the morning." Monty told him.

"I'm glad." Mr Tien told them. He couldn't help noticing that they weren't leaving. "Is there something else?"

"It can wait until..."

"If there's something on your mind, I think I'd rather hear it now." Mr Tien interrupted Victor. He took a deep breath.

"Sir...I'd like to tender my resignation." Victor told him.

"Me too." Monty answered.

"I see." Mr Tien sighed. "May I ask why?"

"I wanted to be like you." Victor responded. "But now, I'm not so sure. I think I need to find what I want to be."

"Me too." Monty agreed. Mr Tien just nodded.

"I thank you both for your time." Mr Tien told them.

"We'll have the suits cleaned and..."

"Please, keep them." Mr Tien answered. "Consider them a thank you for your time."

As Victor and Monty left, Mr Tien just took a deep breath. Al's wife Ellie arrived, running down the hall. Mr Tien intercepted her.

"Where is he?" She shrieked. "Where is he?"

"He's in there." Mr Tien answered.

"What did you do to him?" She screamed.

"He's getting the best of care." Mr Tien assured her. "I've ensured..."

"You've ensured he's here in the first place! What the hell was he doing at that protest?" She yelled at him. "He's an AUDITOR! The biggest danger he's meant to face is paper cuts and misfiring staplers!"

"Mrs Thompson..."

"I don't want to hear it!" She screamed at him. "You better hope he makes a full recovery because if he doesn't, I will make it my mission in life to ensure that you suffer!"

She went to another chair away from Mr Tien and sat down, waiting for news on her husband.

Early 2012, Panorama City, Al was in his house, starting to get ready for work when he was almost bowled over by Ellie as she rushed around, a briefcase under one arm, and a bunch of folders under the other as she rushed around. She almost dropped everything.

"Whoa, sorry about that Ellie." He said, before noticing everything she was carrying. "What's all this?"

"Don't tell me you forgot." She responded.

"Um..." He said, losing all the eloquence and charisma he normally had when he discussed deals and tried to convince clients he knew exactly what he was doing, even when he was bluffing.

"Oh for goodness sake Al, I'm going to see the patent lawyer!" She told him. "I think I might finally have worked out the bugs on my latest invention!"

Ellie, like her daughter, was keen on electronics and engineering, but as a result of his job, she never really needed to work and stayed at home on the days. Her work was more of a case of tinkering than anything else, a glorified hobby. It wasn't like they needed her to work anyway. He could remember her being excited about one of her ideas but in all honesty, he hadn't really listened to what she was saying. For a couple of months, all his attention was on the Yaxley deal. He needed to keep that in his crosshairs 24/7 to ensure that he cashed out just in time to stop him being a victim and instead be one of the winners. Although it was Saturday, he was heading into the office to prepare for the cash out that day.

"The meeting! Damn...I'm sorry Ellie, I totally forgot." He told her. "Look, I'll call and set up another appointment, but I need to go into the office..."

"All you need is a computer and a phone right?" She asked him.

"Well...yes but..."

"GREAT!" She said, kissing him softly and heading out the door. "Then you can watch Sarah!"

"Ellie!"

"Al, it'll do you good to spend some time with her, she's barely seen you lately!" She told him as she got into the car, with Al shortly behind her.

"But I have work..."

"You can do that from here! I'll only be gone a couple of hours!" She told him, handing him the keys to the locking cabinet in the workshop. "Just, try to keep Sarah away from the dangerous stuff. She's a little too into her physics work lately and I caught her working on stuff that was going to be a little noisy!"

"But Ellie!" He called out as she pulled away. Al knew it was too late to do anything else about it. Ellie was blissfully ignorant of his activities at work. He got onto his cell phone and dialled.

"Jerry, it's me, something's come up. I can't be at the office today." Al told him, hearing some panicked yelling in the background. "Don't worry; I'll keep track of it at home. Don't worry, I know today's the day we dump the bitch."

There was more yelling from the other end. Al just went back inside to boot up his computer.

"Dad, I was going to do some homework..."

"Do it later Sarah." Al told her. "Daddy has important work..."

"But I really wanted to..."

"Here, here are your mom's keys." Al said, pulling the keys out of his pocket. "Keep yourself busy in the workshop for a little bit. I'll tell you when I'm finished!"

Little Sarah beamed brightly and rushed away to the workshop to play with her experiments as Al logged onto the system.

"Jerry, don't worry, I'm in. I'm ready." Al told him. "In a couple of hours, we'll have more money than we know what to do with!"


	28. Shutting The Trap

The Rangers had called the Megazord, and were taking Trapsaw to task, trying to keep him from the city. Although he was a clumsy and comparatively unskilled opponent, the fact he had been gigantified always carried an element of risk. Even the most harmless monster could accidentally fall on top of an occupied building or stomp on a car with a family inside.

The Rangers took a glancing hit as he jumped into the air, spinning around to bring one of his saws across them, only he had completely mis-calculated the distance and ended up staggering around, dizzy and confused, before face-planting into the ground.

"Is this for real?" Calvin asked as he looked to the damage report, looking for anything to concern themselves over, but barely finding anything more than cosmetic damage. "Is Cosmo just like, trolling us now or what?"

"He definitely doesn't seem up to the usual calibre." Preston agreed. "Hell, even his brother was more of a threat."

"Guys, we shouldn't take anything for granted." Brody reminded them. "He might not be the toughest opponent, but we still can't take any chances. At this size he can still cause a lot of damage."

"Can we just finish him please?" Sarah asked them. "My dad..."

"We get it Sarah, really, we do." Hayley answered, looking to Preston. "This is your day."

"I guess it is." Brody agreed, handing him the Master Blade. Preston stepped up to the Command Position, taking the Master Blade in hand. He pulled the ripcord, starting it up.

"Time to shut his trap!" Preston called out. "FINAL STRIKE!"

Trapsaw got to his feet, just in time to see the blade coming down right between the eyes. He started sparking as he fell backwards.

"Aw, no one fell into my final trap!" He whined as he fell to the ground and exploded. The Rangers all looked to the nearest camera.

"Show's over, Ninjas WIN!" Preston declared. They sent their zords back into hiding, while de-morphing, landing in an empty street. They all looked to each other as the battle ended.

"Guys, I really need..."

"We all understand." Hayley interrupted her sympathetically. "It's your dad."

"You want us to come with you?" Preston asked her.

"I appreciate it, but there were a lot of people hurt, the hospital's probably going to be restricting visits." She reminded them. She was no stranger to hospitals thanks to her adventurous and inquisitive nature.

"As long as you're sure." Brody answered, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We'll call you later. If you need anything..."

"Thanks Brody." Sarah answered as she ran off. Brody looked to the others.

"So, what do we do now?" He asked.

"I think I have an idea." Levi said with a smile. "Come on, I saw a hardware store just around the corner."

"Hardware store?" Hayley asked, looking a little curious as they all followed him. None of them noticed that a little way off, someone was watching them.

Once Sarah was clear, she went into a secluded alley, morphing again and throwing her Mega Morph Cycle star, forming up her bike. She leapt onto it and gunned the engine and blasted towards the nearest hospital. Her dad wasn't moving the last time she saw him, she wished she could have stayed with him, but she knew that other people were still in danger while Trapsaw was at large. She could only hope that he was alright.

2012, Panorama, Al was pacing the room, his computer keeping track of the market while he poured himself some more vodka. He needed to keep his nerve, timing was of the essence. He checked his watch, realising his wife had already been gone an hour. He was hoping that she wouldn't be long, even though she had said she'd be a couple of hours, he was hoping that she would be back soon.

His phone rang and he answered it.

"Al, what the hell are you playing at?" Jerry asked him. "I don't see a lot of movement on selling that stock."

"It's all about timing Jerry." Al reminded him. "It could still gain a couple of points..."

"A couple of points?" Jerry shrieked. "Screw a couple of points, we need to ditch that stuff before..."

"I'm all over this Jerry, you know that!" Al assured him.

"Dad, come and see what I've done!" Sarah called through from the workshop.

"I'll be through in a second sweetie." All called back. "Jerry, you're becoming twitchy in your old age."

"When we could be looking at twenty years...yeah, that gets me a little nervous!" Jerry told him. Al just smirked.

"Come on, have a little faith!" Al told him.

"Dad...something's not right here..."

"I'll come look in a minute Sarah." Al assured his daughter. "Jerry, my man, will you just relax a little?"

"Dad...!" Sarah called in, a little louder.

"In a minute sweetheart!" Al told her. "Trust me, just a little longer and..."

Just then, the room shook as a loud explosion came from the workshop. He could see smoke and hear the smoke alarm sounding, along with his daughter screaming.

"SARAH!" He called out, running into the workshop.

"Al?" His phone echoed as he left. "Al, what's going on? Where are you? AL?"

Back in the present, up on the Warrior Dome, Ripcon had returned, and completely predictably, he had been summoned to Cosmo's office to answer to Galvanax. Cosmo and Wrench were also in the room, and none of them were happy. Ripcon knew that his plan was a risky gamble, and would likely only pay off if he had ended up destroying at least one of the Rangers and returning with at least one Power Star.

"Trapsaw's a genius is he? Trapsaw just needs to work out the kinks does he?" Galvanax roared as he paced around the place. "He was a FOOL!"

"But boss, I was sure he..."

"Spare me your excuses; I KNOW you only wanted an excuse to force yourself into another grudge match with the Red Ranger!" Galvanax interrupted him sharply. "I don't care about your personal vendettas Ripcon, all I care about is getting those Power Stars!"

"That little stunt of yours cost us quite a bit in the ratings." Wrench told him. "We managed to claw a lot back with some careful editing, but we're still WAY below average for this broadcast!"

"I...I...I was positive..."

"Of course the REAL harm won't be apparent until next week." Cosmo interjected, glaring at Ripcon. "After a fiasco like this week, how many are going to take a hiatus? How many are going to stop watching until they hear the show has gotten back to the quality they expect?"

"Was Trapsaw the fool? Or was Ripcon the fool for hiring him?" Madame Odious asked as she appeared, seemingly from nowhere. Everyone in the room stared at her.

"Where did you come from?" Cosmo asked. "Where have you been?"

"I have other projects in the works that require my attention." She answered casually. "After all, SOME of us need to work at putting on a good show."

"Yes, indeed." Galvanax growled, grabbing Ripcon by the one remaining horn. "Pull one more stunt like that and you won't need to worry about retiring to the production team. You won't need to worry about retiring...at all!"

With that, Odious and Galvanax left to return to his chambers. Wrench just sneered at him.

"Maybe you should stick to what you're good at." Wrench suggested.

"Maybe YOU should keep your thoughts to yourself rust-bucket!" Ripcon snapped as Wrench left. Cosmo approached Ripcon and placed his cane under his chin.

"Don't worry Ripcon; I'm sure I can think of something for you to do." Cosmo told him. "After all, you do owe me for that dip in the ratings...and I have a feeling that you can earn them back for me."

Over at Summer Cove Hospital, Sarah ran in, shoving her way through the corridors in her frantic search for her dad. She had no idea what had happened to him after the attack, all she knew was that he wasn't moving when she last saw him. Being a kind of adventurous and experimentally minded kid, she was no stranger to hospitals. She had been brought in a few times for a variety of things, but she always knew basic rules. The first was, pain was good. As bizarre as it sounded, if something hurt at least it was known it was still alive. Doctors and surgeons only really started to worry if the patient started to report numbness. The other was that movement was a good sign, if someone didn't move...

"MOM!" She called out, finding her mom waiting out in the hall. She ran over, hugging her tightly.

"Sarah!" She responded as she held her tightly.

"I came as soon as I could; I was...what's going on? How is he?" Sarah asked her.

"I don't know honey, he's in surgery." Ellie told her daughter, gesturing to the OR.

"Surgery?" She asked, looking horrified.

"They're not telling me anything, he's been in there since he arrived." Ellie told her. "I've tried to get some news, but they won't tell me anything."

As a doctor came out of the OR, Sarah approached him.

"Please, that's my dad in there." She told him. "Is he alright? What's happening?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anything, we're still working on him." The doctor told her. "Please, know that we're doing everything we can for him."

"But you've not told us anything!" Ellie protested.

"I'm sorry, but we're still working to stablise him." The doctor told him. "I can assure you we've got some of the best people available working on him as we speak. We should be able to tell you something soon."

"But you said that an hour ago!" Ellie protested as he ran off to carry out some other task. Sarah held her mom as they went back to the chairs to wait for any other news. They knew that doctors were always hesitant to give any promises or firm statements. It was all too easy for something unforeseen to come up. It was all too easy for one thing to change everything.

2012, Panorama City, Al was racing through the streets in his car, heading for the hospital. It wasn't as if they hadn't been there before, it was a reasonably familiar route, all things considered, since Sarah had a habit of letting her curiosity get the better of her before she considered the risks of what she was doing. In hindsight Al couldn't believe what he had done. Sarah loved working in the workshop, doing her experiments, and he had given her the keys to keep her entertained. He should have paid more attention. If he had just kept an eye on her like he was supposed to...

He looked into the back, finding her moaning and squirming in pain. Her hands and arms were badly burned from the accident. He didn't want to think what could have happened to her. He still didn't know what she had done exactly, he hadn't paid enough attention to her experiments to understand half of them or how they worked.

"Dad, it hurts!" She whined as he looked over to her. His blood ran cold seeing her. Sarah had been hurt before, she had certainly ended up in the hospital a couple of times, but this was one of the worst he had ever seen. His mind raced as he tried to think about what to do, but seeing his daughter sobbing in pain, he could only come up with one thought. It was way beyond anything he could do with the first aid kit they kept in the house. She needed a hospital.

"It's alright sweetheart." He said soothingly, reaching back to her. "We're nearly there; we'll be at the hospital soon."

He looked back to the road ahead, all sorts of horrible thoughts running through his mind. What was he going to tell Ellie? What COULD he tell her? He had given his daughter the keys to the workshop and sent her away just to get her out of the way so he could work. He still didn't know what she had done.

"Sarah, what were you doing? What were you thinking?" He called back at her. "You know not to do anything dangerous if one of us isn't watching you!"

"I thought I could..."

"You could have been killed! Is that what you wanted?" Al yelled back at her, his panic getting the better of him. He looked back as he heard something else, a siren. He looked into his rear view mirror, seeing a cruiser behind him. One of the cops was signalling him to pull over. He signalled as he pulled into the side of the road. He figured that in his distraction he must have been driving too fast, but he wasn't far from the hospital. He hoped once the cop got one look at his daughter, he would understand and send him on his way. As he stopped, the cops approached his car. He rolled down the window and looked out, hoping to charm his way out of things.

"Licence and registration please sir." The cop began. Al handed over his details. "Do you know why you were pulled over?"

"I'm sorry officer; I guess I was going a little fast." Al told him.

"Sir, you were going fifty in a thirty zone." The cop informed him. "That's before we talk about the red light you just ran through and the stop sign you ignored..."

"Please officer, I'm sorry but...my daughter, I'm taking her to the hospital." Al told him, gesturing to the back. "Please, I'll go to the station and pay a fine..."

"Sir, step out of the car please." The cop told him.

"Officer, my daughter needs..."

"This'll just take a moment sir." The cop interrupted him. Al stepped out of the car. As he stood up, he could see the cop had pulled out a breathalyser.

"Please, I need to get my daughter..."

"Breathe into this please sir." He stated. Al took a deep breath and blew into the breathalyser. He didn't have much choice. He knew he'd had a couple of drinks that day, but he'd had a lot more and been fine. The cop looked to the reader.

"Sir, you've just blown a reading of 0.21." The officer informed him. "Put your hands on the car please."

"You've got to be kidding!" Al screamed. "Please, I know I've had a couple of drinks, but if you just let me get my daughter to the hospital..."

"You're not going anywhere; we'll get your daughter to the hospital." The cop told him, pulling out his handcuffs. "Mr Thompson, you are under arrest for driving under the influence."

Back in the present day, over in Ribbon Tree Park, Levi and the other Rangers were there with some wood and some tools, putting together a new sign. With the announcement from Mr Tien that he would be donating the park back to the city; Levi had decided not to waste any time in making it official.

"Nice and level." Hayley said, resting a spirit level on top of the sign.

"Um...Hayley, you do now a spirit level doesn't work that way right?" Levi asked her. "The sign's curved; a level only works on flat surfaces."

"Well...it looks level anyway." Hayley replied as Levi used his electric screwdriver to drive in the last screw.

"I don't know why you couldn't have let me just do it with...you know...magic." Preston commented. "It would have taken a lot less time."

"Yeah, but there's something to be said for a little hard work." Levi answered with a smile. "I used to always love doing woodwork back home. I used to do all the fences."

"Hey, my brother used to like helping my dad with that stuff." Brody remarked with a smile as he finished painting the sign. He stepped away from it, admiring his handiwork. "Alright...I think that should just about do it."

"Ribbon Tree Park!" Preston read aloud, giving the park its new official name. Although that was how the locals had known it for years, since it hadn't been officially designated a public park, it didn't really have a name on paper. Now though, it just seemed to fit.

"Yeah, I just spoke to your dad on the phone; he's transferring it to the city Monday." Levi told them. "He said it'll be here for everyone to enjoy for years to come."

"Mr Tien really came through for the town on this one." Hayley commented. "Who would have known he could have gone from being so cold to being so cool?"

Preston just stopped and stared at her. Hayley realised what she had said and sucked her teeth.

"Um...sorry." She answered. "I should have thought..."

"Hey, I know what you mean." Preston answered. "He really did come around on this one. I'm glad that he did. The world will always need progress, but what's progress if you have to lose everything else along the way? Sometimes...people just need somewhere they can walk their dogs or play catch with their kids."

"That's a really good way to look at it." Levi agreed. Just then, they heard a crash from a little way off and saw a massive dust cloud billowing up. They all looked to each other.

"You don't think...?"

"Trapsaw's last trap!" Brody called out. "We never found it!"

They all ran for the dust cloud, hoping to help whoever had accidentally triggered the trap. As they got there, the dust was only just beginning to clear. There was a pit in the ground that had opened up. It looked like it had been rigged to drop anyone that walked over it into the pit.

"Hello?" Brody called out. "Is anyone there?"

"Hello?" A voice called back. "Can someone help me out of here?"

"Guys, take my hand." Brody called out, offering his hand to Levi. They held onto him as he lowered himself as far down the pit as he dared, reaching out. "I think I can just about reach. Give me your hand!"

A hand grabbed Brody's and he started to pull up. The others all started to pull them both back as Brody started to pull the unfortunate victim up out of the pit. They eventually managed to get him up onto the grass, where he was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Wow, that was wild. I didn't know how I was going to get out of there." The stranger began. "Thanks for that."

"Hey, we're just glad we could help." Brody told him. "We should probably get a hold of some park workers to cordon off this area, make sure no one else falls in before they can fill it in."

"Brody?" The stranger asked, looking to him. Brody just looked at him curiously. There weren't many people in the city that knew him particularly well. Most of the people he knew were at the school, but he definitely hadn't seen this man there.

"Yeah...that's my name?" Brody said, somewhat uneasily. "Do I know you?"

"Wow...I guess...I guess I changed a lot more in ten years than I thought." The stranger answered.

"Ten years?" Calvin asked.

"You really don't recognise me?" He asked, smiling. "It's me, Aiden."

"Aiden?" Brody asked, heart beginning to race. He had been young when they were separated, and admittedly he knew that a lot of the memories he had from back then were still just forming. He had been only eight when he had been kidnapped. Most people had no meaningful memories before the age of five, and even up to about eight or ten most had very few memories that were fully formed as the brain was still developing. The stranger smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, it's me Brody, its Aiden!" He said as he reached out for him. "I'm your brother!"

Brody observed the only instinct within him and reached out, grabbing his brother tightly, hugging him to him warmly. It had been a long time coming, but at last he had his brother back, and he never wanted to let him go.

 **A/N:** Just a quick note to address something. I AM aware that the new season started this week, and while I'm halfway through the first season, I just wanted to assure you I have every intention of continuing into the new one once this wraps up. With the first half of the first season now dealt with, hopefully I'll be ready for the new episodes when they start here in September.


	29. Fortunes Turn

In Summer Cove hospital, Sarah and Ellie got up from their seats as the door to the Operating Room opened and they finally saw the doctors leaving, and wheeling Al out of the room.

"What's going on?" Ellie rushed out. "Is he...?"

"He's stable now." The surgeon told them. "He's sustained some pretty serious burns, and a couple of his ribs were broken. We were a little worried about his spine..."

"His spine?" Ellie gasped. "Is he...?"

"It doesn't look like it, but we'll know more once he comes around." The surgeon assured her. "He's still critical, so we're taking him to intensive care. Until he wakes up, there's not much more we can do."

"Can we see him?" Ellie asked him.

"For now he needs to rest." The surgeon told them. "For now, the best thing you can do is go home and get some rest."

"My husband is in there..."

"I promise we'll call you if there's any change. He likely won't come around until at least tomorrow." The surgeon interrupted her. "He's going to need you to be strong when he comes around. You should probably go home and get some rest."

"I'm not going anywhere until I speak to my husband." Ellie told him. The surgeon just nodded in understanding.

"I'll have a room prepared for you to rest in." He told her. "I'll have word brought to you as soon as anything changes."

"Thank you." Sarah said as she held her mom, watching them take her dad to the recovery ward, all the time hoping that soon someone would be able to tell them something other than 'wait and see.'

2012, Panorama Police station, interview room 3. Al was sitting in the room, waiting for his interview. He was fully expecting to be punished for his actions. Hell, he knew that when he got home Ellie would tear a strip off him for what happened to Sarah. He had been asked to watch her, to look after their twelve year old daughter for a couple of hours. It would have been bad enough had he just had to explain to his wife how after telling him specifically to watch her she had ended up blowing herself up. She could have lost a hand, she could be scarred for life, she could have...he didn't even want to think about that. Of course since his arrest, the police had taken her to the hospital and him to the station so as of now; he didn't even know what was happening to her.

He had seen the lights and heard the sirens and he had immediately prepared himself for dealing with a fine. He had hoped that the cops would take one look at his daughter and let him go with a warning, or at worst just hand him a ticket and send him on his way, but this cop had insisted on breathalysing Al. Now he knew he was in serious trouble. California was quite humourless as a state when it came to DUI cases. Al had registered almost three times the limit, meaning he could potentially face a custodial sentence. He was at least looking at a substantial fine and possibly a revocation of his licence. He fidgeted nervously, wishing they would just get on with things so he could go. He had watched NCIS a few times, and he knew that a common tactic in interrogations was what they called 'rocking the baby'. They would turn down the heat in the interview room and leave the suspect to stew, leave them to start to zone out before sending someone in to begin the interrogation.

So far, he hadn't even had a chance to ask for his lawyer. He'd been shown into this room and asked to wait. He didn't even know what exactly they were going to nail him on. The DUI was a given, but the speeding, the red light, the stop sign, the cops could easily add all of them to his ticket just for the sake of it. When the door opened and a cop came in, he reached out.

"Please, I know I've been an idiot, I'm more than happy to face whatever's coming to me." Al told him, immediately throwing himself onto the mercy of the cops in the hopes of appealing to their better nature. "Take my licence, crush the car, do whatever you need to do to me, but let me go to the hospital, my little girl..."

"Your daughter is being seen, the hospital says she's got some painful, but fortunately rather mild burns." The cop began. "We've already contacted your wife; she's on her way to the hospital as we speak."

"Thank God." Al breathed. "Alright, so what do we do? I can sign a statement, I'll not even try and defend what I did, just please..."

"Mr Thompson, I'd be more than happy to begin proceedings against you, but unfortunately we had to wait on some colleagues from another agency." The cop informed him. Al just looked at him curiously.

"Another agency?" He asked. That was when the door opened and two rather familiar faces walked in. Al just rolled his eyes.

"Well if it isn't Mulder and Scully." He commented.

"Agents Bishop and McGee, Federal Exchange Commission." The woman answered, showing him her credentials. "We meet again Mr Thompson."

"Look, whatever you're doing here, I don't have time for it. My daughter is in a hospital." Al told them. He looked to the cop. "I'll hold my hands up to the DUI and everything you have to throw at me, just charge me, bail me and send me to the hospital. As for you Agent McGee..."

"Bishop." The woman responded, correcting him.

"Whatever!" Al snapped. "You have to wait until..."

"You don't know yet do you?" McGee asked, looking to Bishop with a smirk on his face. He pulled out his phone, pulling up a web page and sliding the phone to Al. Al just picked it up, but as soon as he did, his blood ran cold. He quickly threw himself to the side, vomiting on the floor. "Yaxley investments just went belly-up. The CEO, someone I believe you know well disappeared this morning with the money. We've got a warrant out for his arrest, but I'm sure by now he's already well on his way to a nice hot country with no extradition treaty."

Al couldn't answer; he just continued to stare at the vomit on the floor. It was only now it occurred to him, the explosion, the rush to get Sarah to the hospital, he had abandoned his work. He had left the computer and more importantly he had not yet dumped the Yaxley stocks. Their shares were still active meaning that along with everyone else unfortunate enough to still own shares, they were carrying the can for every penny of that loss...millions of dollars gone in seconds. What was worse, the majority of the money wasn't theirs to invest in the first place! He had gambled with millions of dollars of other people's money and lost!

"Yaxley's gone. You and the other shareholders are carrying the can for the whole thing." Bishop told him. "Oh, and interesting thing...we noticed a lot of pension funds are more than a little short."

"That is to say they're empty." McGee clarified. "You and your friends are carrying the can for everything."

"I want a lawyer." Al muttered. "I...I...I need to talk to a lawyer."

"We could do that." Bishop told him. "Of course then we'd have to charge you for felony fraud."

"You could apply for bail; we'd label you a flight risk and have it denied." McGee told him matter-of-factly. "Then we'd take you to trial. By the time you get out, your daughter will be out of hospital. Hell, by the time you get out you might be a grandfather."

Bishop took out a pen and a piece of paper and slid them across to Al.

"What happens now depends on what you're willing to give us." She told him. "Just so you know, your friend Goodwill had a little problem with the IRS, so we've got him too. The only question is, which one of you is willing to give us what we need first? I'd suggest you make it good."

"I'll need more paper." Al answered in a defeated manner, taking the cap off the pen and starting to write. Over the course of the next three hours he wrote no less than twenty pages, detailing years of some of the largest scale investments fraud in the city's history.

In the present, Brody, Preston, Calvin, Levi and Hayley had brought Aiden to the school. Being Saturday, they knew they weren't going to run into anyone, and so it seemed like a good place to bring him to talk. Mick had told them to meet him in the yard out the back.

Brody was delighted to have his brother back. He wasn't a miserable guy or anything, they had seen him laugh and they had seen him smile, but it wasn't as though he made a habit of it. However, since finding Aiden in Trapsaw's trap, it was like looking at a different person. It was almost creepy to see, but it wasn't just his smile which he didn't seem to be able to lose. The way he walked, the way he stood, it was like he had grown a full three inches, like a gigantic weight had been lifted from him. They all knew how much he had wanted this day to come, and no one really wanted to take this from him, but as Mick met them in the yard, instead of in the Ranger Base, it became apparent that he wasn't quite so convinced in this miracle.

"Look, I'm sorry if I sound like I'm being 'that guy', but we have to be careful. I'm sure you understand that." Mick explained as they all sat with him. Brody looked to him a little curiously.

"Careful?" He asked. "Careful about what?"

"Well...it wouldn't be the first time Cosmo or Odious tried something sneaky." Mick told him. "You have to admit that Aiden just showing up out of nowhere is a little...convenient."

"Convenient?" Aiden asked. "Are you saying you don't really believe I'm me?"

"Mick, it's Aiden, I know it is, you guys all believe me right?" Brody asked, looking to the others. They all just looked between each other uneasily. The silence spoke volumes. "Right?"

"Well..."

"Preston!"

"The thing is, on the way over here, I guess it might have occurred to us that maybe...this might be a good way to get a spy among us." Hayley offered as delicately as she could.

"A spy?" Brody asked. "My brother, Aiden, a spy?"

"Well...we don't really KNOW that he's Aiden do we?" Calvin asked them both. "Look, I'll be the first to apologise and buy you the biggest burrito you want if I'm wrong."

"I prefer a double-danger chilli burger actually." Aiden said with a smirk. "They're my favourite; you get them from the snack van by the Botanical Gardens.

"I know you think you know this is Aiden, but it's been ten years." Mick reminded him. "People change a lot in that time, especially from when they're kids. We just have to be totally certain he is who he says he is."

"Guys, this is..."

"No, it's alright." Aiden told him.

"Aiden..."

"No, I get it, I do." Aiden assured him. "You remember that story dad always told us, how a ninja once posed as a Shogun's estranged son to get close to him. He managed to convince the whole household he was legit for eight years before he took the Shogun down."

"OK." Brody sighed. "But for the record...dad DID tell us that story. How would he know that if he wasn't Aiden? Or what Aiden's favourite food was?"

"That story was in history books." Hayley reminded Brody. "You lent it to me once, it's not like that book is the only copy, others will have read that story."

"Not to mention we don't always see those buzz-cams when they come down." Levi reminded him. "You told me that Aiden loved those chilli burgers, I could claim I was Aiden and you wouldn't know any better if that's all I knew."

"Alright, then I guess we need to hear stuff that only Aiden could know." Calvin suggested. "So go ahead, tell us, what happened to you? How did you escape?"

"Now that...that's a story." Aiden commented, shaking his head as he looked among them. "I can remember it as though it was yesterday."

Back on the Romero farm back in 2007, a young Aiden was in his dad's workshop, trying his hand with some throwing stars. Being a few years older than Brody, who was still only eight, he was a little further along in his training than his brother, and having another couple of years on him, Dane had seen fit to let him begin training in weapons forms. It was still a little early for Brody to be running around with live blades, but Aiden had been allowed to practice with weapons now for a little over two years.

He threw a shuriken, which imbedded itself in a board on which his dad had marked out a target. It struck the man-shaped target right in one of the legs, at which Aiden smiled with satisfaction.

Despite popular opinion, shuriken were rarely intended to be lethal weapons. They were simply too light to sink deeply enough into the flesh to do much more than flesh wounds, and a ninja would have to be ridiculously fortunate to nick an artery or some other vital soft target. In general, they were used more as distractions during combat or escape attempts and to injure or hamper the victim. Even in the instances toxins were used, more often than not they were more often nerve agents such as pepper oils and suchlike to cause a reaction and greater pain to the victim since it wasn't common they would deliver enough of a toxin deep enough to get it into the bloodstream and administer a lethal dose.

He heard a commotion outside and went to the window, finding hideous monsters outside, surrounding his brother. Galvanax, Madame Odious and Ripcon were advancing on his younger brother, who looked to be frozen to the spot, paralysed by fear. He grabbed a knife and was about to head out, but he felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. He looked up, finding his dad standing over him.

"Dad..."

"I see them son." He told him.

"Brody..."

"Aiden, I need you to listen to me very carefully." Dane told him in a serious tone. He had raised his sons on his stories all their lives. He had trained in the Wind Ninja Academy, trained to defend the world against evil. Although he had opted to leave the Academy after the death of their mother, he still took his responsibility to the Earth seriously, and was raising his sons to be able to take up his mantle should they need to. He grabbed a rusted old coffee can he kept nails in and emptied them out, before sweeping up all the Ninja Steel shards lying on the workbench into it, taking care not to leave a single piece. Aiden had watched his dad forge that steel into weapons ever since the Nexus Prism came to them, and he knew of its great power. Dane thrust the can into his son's hands. "Aiden, I need you to take this and hide."

"But dad..."

"I mean it, take it and go." Dane told his son. "Whatever you do, you can't let anyone get their hands on it. Hide, run and hide, and don't come out until I come back."

"Brody..."

"Don't worry about Brody son." Dane told him, taking his ninjato off the wall, heading for the door. "I'll go and get your brother."

He took a deep breath and went out the door. Aiden clutched the can to his chest, and despite his father's insistence, watched the battle out of the window.

Back in the present, he was nearing the end of his story.

"I couldn't believe it, I watched my father turn into a Power Ranger!" He said with a smile. "I'd only heard about them in my dad's stories, but he became one right in front of my eyes! He fought Galvanax, and it was incredible!"

He suddenly tailed off as his story neared its end.

"I saw Ripcon take my brother, my dad was distracted, and that allowed Galvanax to strike him down." Aiden told them. "He disappeared, it was the last time I ever saw him. They took the Nexus Prism and Brody, but they didn't know I was there. I remembered what my dad had said, so I hid the Ninja Steel in his trophy and sneaked into the school to hide it. Then I got on a train and went as far as I could to hide. I managed to hide for all those years, but then I saw you all on TV, and I saw your Ninja Stars and I knew, I just knew you had to have escaped and come back! I came back as soon as I could!"

"So, are you finished interrogating my brother?" Brody asked. "Or can we finally take him into the Ranger Base instead of talking out here?"

"I...don't think that's a great idea." Mick told him. "I mean, the Nexus Prism, the Ninja Steel, all our tech...really they're only for Rangers."

"MICK!"

"No, its fine...really, it's fine." Aiden answered. "Besides, after all this time, I'd really like to get back to the farm. I'd kind of like to get back to my old room. I've not had a place of my own for ten years."

"Yeah...we can do that." Brody answered, looking at Mick in a way that let him know he wasn't happy. "I have to warn you, time's kind of taken a bit of a dump on the place."

"Then I guess we just need a little of the old Romero elbow grease and work ethic!" Aiden said, offering his brother a high-five as they headed for the truck. Brody high-fived him and got into the truck to go with him. The others looked to Mick.

"Mick, he did sound pretty convincing." Calvin told him.

"I know, it's just...I've known Odious and Cosmo too long." He told them. "I know they love playing games."

"But what he said, he knows..."

"He knows a lot, and a lot of it is convincing, but I'm not convinced all of it isn't stuff he couldn't have figured out elsewhere." Mick told them. "His account of what happened, he could have learned that from anyone that was there, including Galvanax or Odious or Ripcon."

"What about where he hid the Ninja Steel?" Preston asked him.

"You inadvertently broadcast that on a Buzz-cam remember?" Mick reminded him.

"Well, what about where he's been?" Calvin asked.

"Exactly, what HAS he told us about where he's been?" Mick asked him. Calvin suddenly fell quiet as he realised he was right. He really hadn't told them anything of consequence. "Look, maybe I am being paranoid. I'm living proof that unlikely survival stories do happen, and I'll be made up if it turns out I'm wrong and this is real. I just think it might be a good idea to wait a while before we trust him with everything. If he is on the level, then we should have nothing to worry about."

"Hey, you've known those guys a lot longer than we have; I'll take your lead on it." Preston answered. "I just hope that this is real."

"Yeah, I do too." Mick admitted. "I've never wanted to be proven wrong so much in my life."


	30. Al's Fight

In Summer Cove Hospital, Ellie and Sarah were just getting as settled as they could in the room that had been prepared for them. With Al still in critical condition, Ellie had steadfastly refused to leave the hospital until she could speak to him and check on him herself. It would be at least a few hours before the anaesthetic would wear off, but after that, when Al came around was largely down to him. A nurse came in carrying a couple of cups of coffee.

"I brought this from the staff lounge." He informed them. "The stuff from the machine is terrible."

"Thank you." Ellie said in a small, barely audible voice as she took the cup from him and set it down. Sarah sat on the bed and took a sip as she tried to settle.

"I got a hold of the on-call doctor after his rounds. He said that so far Mr Thompson seems to be responding well." He told them, trying to keep them both optimistic. Sarah wished she could be more optimistic about it. Explosions were bad enough, and she had seen people affected by the blasts that came from errant shots. Her dad had taken a direct hit from one of the blaster shots. When he should have been running, she had seen him standing on the spot, looking around in circles and guessed he was probably looking for her, hoping to get her to safety. It was a horrendous irony that he had probably only stayed at the attack to try and save her when she was probably one of the safest people there. He had probably risked himself for her.

"I keep hearing a lot of maybes and ifs and platitudes..." Ellie responded sadly. "I'd love it if just one person could say 'he's going to be alright.'."

"Hey, I've only been working here a couple of years and in that time I've seen a lot of people come and go." The nurse assured her. "In my experience the ones that tend to make it are the ones that know there's someone waiting for them worth fighting for. Looking at the two of you, I'd say he's got that."

He didn't get an answer, but instead Ellie just started to pull back the covers on her bed. The nurse took this as a hint that it was time to leave them to their own devices. As he left, Sarah watched as her mom lay down and covered herself, but although she turned away, Sarah could just tell her mother wasn't sleeping. She doubted she would be able to. Sarah took more after her mom than her dad. Her mom was something of a scientist, although most of it was more tinkering and experiments in her spare time in her garage than anything else. She hated not knowing things. She hated wooly and unspecific things like 'ifs' and 'maybes'. She liked definitive terms. She'd only be able to rest once she knew one way or another what was going to happen to her husband.

As Sarah finally lay down, turning off the light and trying to get some rest, the nurse watched them for a moment. Another nurse stopped by them.

"The Thompsons?" He asked. The other nurse just nodded. "Man, I'd hate to be in their shoes."

"I just wish there was something I could tell them." The first nurse replied. "I'll tell you one thing though, that Mr Thompson is one lucky guy."

"Lucky?"

"Yeah, having a family that's sticking by him like this." He commented. "That's something worth fighting for alright."

Panorama Court, 2012, It was now a good couple of months since his initial arrest and Al was on trial for his crimes. With the sheer scale of the crimes, the media buzz had erupted, and the District Attorney's office was keen to get the trials underway to try and limit the outrage over the crimes.

Thousands of clients had their money invested with Al and with the firm he worked for. By failing to get their money out of the Ponzi Scheme before it collapsed, millions of dollars in retirement funds for everyone from schoolteachers and office workers to veterans had disappeared in a matter of moments. Millions of dollars that people had pinned their hopes for the future on had been lost, far more than was ever likely to be recovered.

Al looked over to the public gallery where his wife was sitting. She wasn't hard to find, despite public interest in the case; Al's courtroom was sealed to the public. He had turned State's Witness and as such, they were keen to keep him as isolated from people that might seek to do him harm as possible. Sarah wasn't with her; she had been left with a sitter. He still couldn't believe that Ellie was willing to stick by him. She had to come to the police station to hear from him what had happened. It was now April and he had been held on remand since his arrest in January. There had been a lot of screaming, she had hit him, she had screamed at him for what felt like days straight as he explained to her in detail how his greed and his need to 'win', to get the payoff had led to him destroying a lot of people's dreams, all while he neglected their daughter long enough for her to end up in the hospital.

He was sure she would leave him; he wouldn't have blamed her if she did, but in the end she had managed to look past his reckless and selfish actions to the fact that through everything, when his daughter needed him, his first thought had been to see to her. As misguided as he was, as horrendous as his actions were, he had been picked up while trying to get her to the hospital as quickly as possible to get the help she needed.

"Would the defendant please rise." The judge declared, leading to Al and his attorney standing up. "Mr Thompson, in all my years I have presided over a number of fraud cases, but never in all my career have I seen such frankly breathtaking level of criminal behaviour."

Al just stood, with his heart in his throat. He had flipped on his company, and in the process many of his friends by turning State's Witness. He knew that his only way of avoiding a sentence measured in decades was if he was willing to give the DA something more interesting than one crooked investment broker. He had done that in spades, there had been no less than sixty eight felony level arrests based on Al's written confession. It was rumoured he had all but guaranteed the DA's re-election in November and that his main opponents had already pulled out of the race.

"In your selfish, arrogant and frankly disgusting disregard for the money entrusted to you by hard-working citizens you and your accomplices have damaged and even destroyed a great many lives. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to put you in prison for a very long time." The judge continued. "However, I believe you have shown remorse. Your ill-gotten assets have been seized to return as much as possible of your clients' money, and I have to take into account your unprecedented cooperation with the authorities and the extensive corruption your testimony has uncovered. It is for this reason Mr Thompson that I have elected to extend you leniency. It is for this reason that I am sentencing you to four years imprisonment, suspended for three years under parole conditions to be set."

All Al could do was breathe a sigh of relief. He had been in a remand cell for three months, but now, once he heard his parole conditions, he was going home. He looked to Ellie, who was making her way down to join him. She hugged him tightly as he was preparing to leave the dock. McGee and Bishop stood before him.

"You dodged a bullet Thompson." McGee said, looking rather less than happy with the sentence. Although they had been given plenty of credit for the career-making case, he looked like he still felt like Al had walked away virtually unscathed when all was said and done.

"Agent McGee, I've lost just short of everything." Mr Thompson reminded him. "I lost my home, my job..."

"And a lot of people lost everything." McGee snorted in disgust. "A lot of those pensions you lost belonged to people that served our country."

"I know..."

"Those people fought and bled for freedom, one of them left his legs in the desert, and you treated them like walking piggy-banks." McGee interrupted him. "I want you to think about that when you're sitting at home with a nice cold beer."

They escorted Al from his courtroom, but as they were going, nearby there was another courtroom letting out that was a decidedly different story, and was getting a lot more attention. Jerry had been on trial the same day, but he had taken a little more time and some more convincing to make a deal with the DA. As such, he didn't get the same anonymity from the press.

Al looked to him, their eyes locking and he nodded, before holding up four fingers. However, he couldn't help noticing the fact he was wearing handcuffs and that the bailiff didn't let go of him. His four years was not suspended, he would be going to prison. Just then, there was a ruckus and a man broke through the cops surrounding him.

"You sold us out Goodwill!" He screamed, launching himself at Jerry, tackling him to the floor and starting to pummel him, looking like he had every intention of beating him to death right there with his bare hands. Cops pulled them apart, but from what little could be heard, it looked like they were in support of the guy that attacked Jerry, like they didn't want to arrest him and wanted him to leave before he did something that would force them to arrest him. The man struggled in their grip.

"This man screwed up so many lives with his dirty deals, now he gets a crappy four year jail term because he cuts ANOTHER crooked deal?" He screamed. Al made to leave, but McGee grabbed him and forced him to watch.

"Oh no, you don't get out of this that easily." He told him. Al watched as the man continued to rant, venting his entirely justifiable anger.

"He probably won't even serve two! He gets to go back to his life after that! What about our lives? People have lost their homes! People have lost their livelihoods!" He screamed as the cops pulled him one direction while the bailiffs dragged Goodwill off to a waiting prison transport. "Your days are numbered Goodwill! Mark my words, Goodwill, you'll get yours!"

"I guess it's easier to sleep at night when you never have to face your victims." McGee told him, shoving Al away. "Have a good life Mr Thompson."

Back in the present, Brody drove the truck all the way back to the Romero farm in the nearby town of Millport. It had now been a couple of months since he had been back here. Once he and his friends had discovered that the Ninja Steel and Aiden weren't there, there really was no reason for him to go back there. While it was his home once, without either his dad or Aiden there, it was basically just a building, and he was already much more used to staying in the school by now anyway. It was more convenient to just continue living there than it was to move back to the farm out of some misplaced sentimentality to a family that as far as he knew may not even exist any longer.

As they pulled up into the yard and Aiden got out, he let out a long, low whistle.

"You were not kidding when you said this place needed some TLC." He commented. While the house and the workshop were still standing, a testament to their sturdy construction, the farm had sat unoccupied for a decade, and in that time it had become over-grown and more than a little run-down.

"I was amazed the place was still vacant at first." Brody told him. "With dad being gone so long I'd have thought it would have been picked up long ago, but apparently the locals saw the place as cursed."

"Cursed?" Aiden asked him.

"You know, a family just disappears without a trace, no explanation as to how it happened?" Brody commented. "I guess I can understand people being a little superstitious."

"So we're the Mary Celeste of Millport?" Aiden asked, looking to Brody. It was a reference to an old maritime mystery that still baffled and fascinated people to this day. It was a merchant ship that had launched from New York for Genoa on 7 November 1872, only it never arrived. It was found floating abandoned on December 5 the same year, with its final log entry being written ten days earlier, though citing nothing about an evacuation or any explanation for why one might be necessary on a vessel that was otherwise seaworthy. The only things that were known was that the lifeboat was missing, and the crew had left so abruptly that they left all their belongings, and even uneaten meals. Many stories as to what could possibly have caused the crew's disappearance existed, but as they were never recorded as having been found, it was a tale that existed as a legend to the present day.

"That's one way of putting it." Brody answered. "Sorry I never started to fix anything up. With you and dad gone, and this place being so far from the city and the others..."

"Hey, it's kind of a big job for one person." Aiden said with a smile. "I guess it's just as well there are two of us now. Maybe we can get this place back to being home."

Brody smiled hearing this. It did sound good, home. It was a word that was largely meaningless to him. The Warrior Dome was where he had been imprisoned for ten years, it wasn't a home, and as much as he loved being with Mick and Redbot in the workshop, having their own space, it still wasn't the same as having a family home. Unfortunately, there was just one thing that nagged on his mind; one thing he really wished wasn't on his mind. As Aiden wandered around, looking at the farmhouse and commenting on the jobs he could see that needed done to return the farm to the way it had been when they were kids, it kept playing on Brody's mind what Mick had said.

Brody more than anyone knew that there was a difference between "unlikely" survival stories and "impossible" survival stories. He knew that his own escape from the Warrior Dome was so close to what most people would consider impossible that it was only the fact he had lived through it that would convince him and many others that it was true. Aiden had been on his own from the age of twelve. He would have had to fend for himself as a kid for all that time. While his dad had taught them both survival techniques, ones that he was confident would allow him to survive, he had to wonder how long a child of Aiden's age would really be able to be by themselves without anyone finding him. As much as he desperately wanted this to be true, he couldn't shake what Mick had said.

"Look at you, wanting to build this place up." Brody said with a smirk. "I guess that makes sense, you always did love Monopoly."

"Monopoly?" Aiden asked. Brody reached into his pocket for his Ninja Star as he awaited Aiden's answer. "Yeah, I liked it...up until dad threw out all our board games."

Brody just looked to him curiously.

"I made you sleep under that tree because you couldn't pay rent on Park Avenue." Aiden said, pointing to an apple tree. Brody relaxed his grip on his Power Star. He couldn't think how anyone other than Aiden would know that story. "Don't worry; a decade of sometimes never having a roof over your head at all makes you think a lot about your attitude to property."

"So where do we start?" Brody asked.

"Well, I say for tonight we just make the beds usable." Aiden suggested. "We can work on the rest tomorrow."

With that, Brody put his arm around his brother and headed into the house with him. When he brought him back to the others, he would be able to tell them about what Aiden had said. There was no reason to lose his friends over their desire to keep him safe. Once they apologised to Aiden, it would be back to normal.

May, 2012, Blue Bay Harbour. It was the first of many times Al and his family would end up moving over the next few years. While his trial had been closed to the public, the family knew that sooner or later people would start to connect the dots. It wouldn't take long for people who had very real reasons to resent his freedom to come after him, or worse, his family. They had to make sure the Justice Department knew where they went to satisfy his parole conditions, but as long as they had permission, they were as free to move as anyone else.

Al was at home, bored and alone. Needless to say it was somewhat difficult for him to get back into work with a judgement against him, and also while he was trying to keep under the radar as much as possible. Ellie had to get a job working in a local market, and Sarah was at school, leaving him alone in the house with his thoughts.

He had never been particularly domestically minded. He really didn't know what to do with himself while he was at home, and he was finding that daytime television was every bit as horrendous as the stories said it was.

He threw the handset aside as he got onto the local news and got up to stretch his legs.

"We're here outside Central Panorama City High School which until moments ago was under armed siege." The reporter began. "The siege, perpetrated by Ryan Hudson, a veteran and one of the victims of the Yaxley Investments Scam took the school with a group of armed accomplices and took the entire school hostage, in particular student Melanie Goodwill and demanded that the authorities hand over her father Jerry Goodwill."

Al stopped stock still and his whole world ground to a halt as he stared at the screen.

"Oh God no!" He rushed out. "Oh please, oh please..."

"The Authorities managed to end the siege, but unfortunately it was not without casualties. Another student was injured in a struggle for a gun, and nineteen year old Clyde Williams, one of the hostage takers and son of one of the fraud victims was shot dead by a police sniper."

Al couldn't hear what else was being said. All he could think of was what he had heard. Jerry's daughter had been taken hostage in their efforts to hold Jerry to account for their losses. The last part though was the part that hit him straight at his core though, a nineteen year old kid, a kid who should have had his life ahead of him was dead, and it was all because of him.

He went to his cabinet and grabbed a bottle of whisky, taking off the cap and pouring himself a large glass, gulping it down as he sat to listen to the story being reported in more detail. It would be two years before he would finally stop drinking.

In the present, a doctor was doing his rounds, checking on his patients when he heard a sound coming from Al's bed. He rushed over, just as Al started to stir.

"El...El..." He was muttering through the fog created by his disorientation and the cocktail of medication in his system.

"Mr Thompson?" The Doctor asked. "Mr Thompson, can you hear me?"

"Ellie." He managed to mutter. The doctor turned to one of the nurses that was with him.

"Mr Thompson's coming around, go and get his wife." The doctor told him.

"Doctor..."

"This is the first signs of response he's shown since he came in here!" The doctor told him. "Get his wife, if anything's going to motivate him to fight that will."

He leaned over Al's bed as the nurse went to get his family.

"Your family's on their way, they never left." The doctor told him.

Al couldn't really understand much of what was being said to him, but he understood enough to know that now was the time to fight. He had fought for the life he had now, and he was damned if he was going to give it up now.


	31. Recooping Losses

Brody woke up in the morning, hearing some banging going on out in the yard. It took him a moment to realise where he was, he had been waking up in the Ranger Base now for a couple of months. While it was considerably better than his quarters in the Warrior Dome, his "quarters" did largely amount to a hammock strung up in the painting booth of the high school when it came to bed time. It took him a moment to remember that last night he had come back to the Romero Farm, but when he did, he smiled as he remembered why, and more importantly it occurred to him what the banging outside likely was.

He pulled on a pair of trainers and set off outside in his pyjamas, finding Aiden outside, already hard at work. He looked to have sourced some wood that his dad had stored for some repairs, and was working on some shelving units.

"You're out early!" Brody called out. Aiden looked around, and smiled as he saw his brother.

"Early? The day's half gone sleepy head!" Aiden teased him. Brody felt his heart swell to hear this. Their dad often said the same thing. With the possible exception of Christmas, when the Romero Boys were so excited that they barely slept at all, Dane Romero somehow was always up before them. Between his years as a senior student at the Wind Ninja Academy and his time on a farm, he was generally always an early riser. He would often have tasks completed before the boys even woke up that had to have taken him at least a couple of hours. Brody hadn't had any real interest in coming back by himself once they realised the Ninja Steel and anything of value was gone, but now that Aiden was back, and he had expressed an interest in fixing the farm back up, returning it to the home they once knew, being back seemed a lot more appealing. "I was wondering if I'd have to wake you."

He returned to the fence he was fixing, beginning to tap on a nail as Brody came over.

"Have you eaten yet?" Brody asked.

"No, I was waiting on my baby brother finally dragging himself out his pit." Aiden answered, having tapped the nail far enough into the wood that it would stand up by itself. He then let go of it, and focusing, he drove it in completely in one stroke.

"Hey, that was dad's old trick!" Brody recalled.

"Everything can be an exercise in focus, technique and power." Aiden said to him, setting up another nail. "With a little creativity, anything can be an exercise in the essential skills of ninjitsu."

He drove the nail in, at which Brody smiled. He looked to him.

"Well as much as creativity is a good thing, there's only so much you can do with a few old nails." Brody told him. "How about we head into the city and hit up the hardware store for some supplies. We can get breakfast while we're there."

"That sounds like a plan baby brother." Aiden answered, putting the hammer back in his father's old, rusted toolbox and closing it over. "You go and get dressed, I'll clean up here."

Over at Summer Cove hospital, it was breakfast time and Al was finishing up his cereal. He wolfed it down as quickly as possible, not just because he hadn't eaten since he had been brought in the previous day, but because the doctors had assured him he'd get some time extra visitation with his wife and his daughter.

"I thought you always told me not to gulp." Sarah chuckled as her dad poured the remains of his bowl into his mouth. He put the bowl down and glared at her as he forced down his last mouthful.

"Do as I do, not as I say." He told her.

"That's not really fair..."

"Getting away with hypocrisy is one of the benefits of being a parent." Al said to her as he wiped off his mouth. "When you have your own kids, I guarantee you'll understand."

"So how are you feeling?" Ellie asked him.

"I feel like I'm lucky to be alive." Al told her honestly. "They say your life flashes before your eyes, and they weren't kidding. I re-lived a lot of stuff while I was under."

"The doctors said that it was pretty touch and go there." Ellie told him. "You really scared us there."

"I really scared myself too." Al told them.

"Thank God your job had medical insurance." Ellie commented. "The doctors are talking about you being here for quite a while..."

"Uh...yeah...there might be a slight issue there." Al told them. "I might have...sort of...quit that afternoon."

"You did what?" Ellie asked him.

"Ellie, let me explain..."

"AL!" She screamed at him. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Now, let me explain, believe me, I had a very good reason..."

"I believe it was." They heard a voice from the door. They turned to see Mr Tien standing in the doorway, carrying a large hamper.

"I really think you should..."

"Please, Mrs Thompson, I only wanted to see that your husband was alright." Mr Tien told her. "And to assure you that you have nothing to worry about, your husband's medical insurance is still valid...and as a gesture I will cover any outstanding excesses."

"Why would you do that?" Mr Thompson asked him. "I told you I qu..."

"You know, a lot happened yesterday Mr Thompson, and in all honesty I can't remember half of it." Mr Tien told him with a smile as he put his hamper down on a nearby table. "But what I do remember is that I owe you for teaching me a valuable lesson. You just worry about getting back on your feet."

"Thank you Mr Tien." Al answered.

"It is a sobering thing to realise you are not a good man." Mr Tien told him. "In the last 24 hours I have had three people quit on me over my treatment of my son, and on the insistence that they do not wish to end up like me. I can't help but think about that and think that they have a point. I just want to apologise for how I have treated you and thank you for opening my eyes to the kind of man I have become."

"So...what happens now?" Ellie asked him.

"There will be a job waiting for Al if he wishes it when he gets back on his feet." Mr Tien assured them. "In AUDITING. If, however you wish to pursue other opportunities, I will be happy to honour your severance package...and believe me it will be very generous."

"Thank you." Al answered.

"Wait, so your idea of a thank you is letting my dad go back to the job he already had or sacking him?" Sarah asked. "Did I miss something?"

"A fresh start can be a good thing for all involved." Al replied sagely. "With all due respect Mr Tien, I think I'll take the severance package. Perhaps allowing some water to go under the bridge would be for the best."

"Then consider this your notice of termination." Mr Tien told him, heading for the door. He stopped by the hamper. "I ensured the champagne is non-alcoholic. I hope you enjoy it."

With that, he left the room. Sarah just looked at the door, completely confused.

"So...you still got fired?" She asked.

"Yup." Al said with a smile. "I hope you don't mind me hanging around for a while."

"I can't wait until I grow up." Sarah muttered, shaking her head. "I don't think I'll ever understand adults."

In another part of the city, Levi came into the workshop, finding Mick pacing around on the phone. Redbot was just melting down some Ninja Steel on the forge.

"Say Mick, I was just working on some lesson plans and I heard a crash from the shop class." Levi told him as he came in. "It looks like one of your shelving units collapsed..."

He tailed off as Mick held up a hand, indicating to him to be quiet. He had his brows furrowed as he listened to the other end.

"So...the last time anyone saw any of them was 2000?" Mick asked. "You're certain?"

"Who's he on the phone to?" Levi asked. Redbot just shrugged.

"I don't know, he's been on the phone for most of the morning." Redbot told him. "That's the third call he's made."

"Yes...yes, I understand." Mick answered as he heard the reply from the other end. "Yes, thank you very much for your time. Yes, I'll let you know if I hear anything else. Thank you very much for your time."

He hung up and turned round, jumping as he noticed Levi standing there.

"Whoa, I know you guys are ninjas but you really need to stop sneaking up on people!" He commented.

"Mick...I used the front door, I didn't exactly sneak anywhere." Levi commented. "Who were you on the phone to?"

"Cam Watanabe." He told him. Levi just shrugged his shoulders.

"Let's just assume that name means nothing to me." Levi answered. Mick just nodded in understanding. None of the Rangers had heard much about the Wind Ninja Academy. From what he understood, Aiden had left when he was a toddler and Dane had left with his wife before Brody was born. None of the others had ever been to the Academy; much less had any reason to know anything about the people there.

"Right...of course...um..." Mick stammered. "It's about Aiden..."

"You're following up on him." Levi surmised. "Mick, we all said we'd keep an eye on him..."

"I know, but I really wanted to see if I could find out what happened to him in those missing years." Mick told him. "I called Sarah's friend Kendall, she managed to put me onto one of the Corsairs, Gia, who managed to get me contact details for Cam Watanabe, the current head Sensei of the Wind Ninja Academy."

"OK?" Levi asked. "So what did he have to say?"

"He needed to check his dad's records. His dad retired in 2004 and left him in charge." Mick told him. "He was the Head Sensei when Dane Romero was there."

"Brody's dad." Levi answered. "So what did he say?"

"Dane's wife Angela fell pregnant with their second child in 1999, and Dane decided to leave the academy to raise his family." Mick told him. "He left the Academy in 2000 and no one has seen any of them since."

"OK, so it's a dead end." Levi replied.

"Maybe, but maybe not." Mick replied, looking through his notes. "We know that Galvanax attacked the Romero Farm in 2008 when he kidnapped Brody. Aiden's been missing between then and now."

"Yeah, we know all that." Levi answered.

"What we don't know is what he was doing in all that time." Mick continued. "He was 12 years old and he just completely disappeared off the grid for ten years."

"He was trained in ninjitsu." Levi reminded him. "If he didn't want to be found, he wouldn't have been."

"But he still needed to eat! How many 12 year olds do you know can fend for themselves for more than a few days before they need someone else to take care of them?"

"I seemed to be alright." Levi answered. "I was found by The General when I was 13."

"But you don't know how long you were on the streets. You might only have been out there a couple of weeks." Mick reminded him. "Aiden said he got on a train, which makes sense, but where did he go? More importantly, when he had somewhere to go, why didn't he go there?"

"Somewhere to go?" Aiden asked. "You mean the Academy?"

"He knew it existed, his dad told him about it." Mick continued. "They would probably have taken him in if he needed somewhere to stay, but when I called they said no one had seen the Romeros since they left in 2000. The Academy is the closest thing he'd have to family. Why wouldn't he go there?"

"Do you have any idea where the Wind Ninja Academy is?" Levi asked him.

"It's in Blue Bay Harbour." Mick answered.

"Where?" Levi asked him. Mick was going to answer, but hit on the very real problem he didn't actually know. "It's a hidden ninja school. That's kind of the point. Maybe Aiden went there but couldn't find it. You said it yourself he was only about four when he left. Do you know what street you lived on when you were four?"

"That...is an excellent point." Mick conceded as Levi took a toolbox and headed out into the shop class. Mick followed him, and stopped as he saw the shelving unit. "Whoa, what happened here?"

"The shelving unit collapsed, that's what I came to tell you." Levi answered, inspecting the damage. "I should be able to reinforce this in a few minutes."

"I know you think I'm being paranoid..."

"Mick, if you were paranoid you wouldn't have let Brody go with Aiden." Levi told him.

"Brody can look after himself." Mick sighed. "Even if I hate admitting it, he hasn't needed me in years."

"Needed you?" Levi asked. "Mick, you've been the closest thing he had to a family in years."

"I know." Mick replied. "I want this to be true, I really do, and I keep telling myself that it's just me being cautious..."

"Listen, we all want this to be true." Levi answered. "But we all know that the bad guys aren't always going to play fair."

"Do you...do you really think this could just be down to me being scared Brody's going to choose Aiden over me?" Mick asked him.

"I'd be lying if I said that thought hadn't crossed my mind." Levi said, putting two pieces of wood together and tapping a nail until it could stand by itself. "But when it comes to family, you will NEVER be too cautious."

With that, he hit the nail once, driving it all the way in. Mick just nodded.

"Thanks Levi." He answered. "Nice trick by the way."

"Thanks." Levi answered, setting up another nail. "Don't worry Mick, we're all going to look out for Brody, and if Levi is on the level, instead of him replacing us, maybe we'll be able to make room for him."

He brought the hammer down, driving it into place in one stroke.

Sarah and Ellie went back to the house after visiting hours. Although they wanted to stay, they knew that there were other things that needed to be done. Although Sarah had said she would like to stay with her dad, Ellie had insisted she go back to school the following day.

"I'll fix us some dinner." Ellie told her. "I'll call you when its' done."

"Thanks mom." She answered. "Are you sure everything's going to be alright?"

"You let us worry about that." She answered. "We've been through bad times before."

"I know, I just...I want to help if I can." Sarah answered.

"You can help by getting your homework done." Ellie assured her. "Just because it'll be a while before your dad's back on his feet doesn't mean life's going to be kind enough to give us a pass too. Unfortunately life..."

"...doesn't stop still." Sarah sighed, remembering what her mom had told her when she was injured in the attack in Amber Beach. "I know mom."

"We'll be fine." Ellie told her, hugging her daughter. "Why don't you contact your friends? I'm sure they're dying to hear from you. It must be a whole 12 hours since you last spoke to any of them."

Sarah just went upstairs, leaving Ellie to get on with things downstairs. She got to her room, and opened up her computer, setting up a Skype connection, hoping to get one of her friends.

"Sarah!" She heard Preston's voice answering. "Sarah, you're home!"

"Yeah, the hospital wouldn't let us stay another night." Sarah told him. "They said that dad's stable, but he's going to be in there for a while."

"Yeah, I know my dad went to see him, but it's good to hear it from you." Preston answered. "How are you holding up?"

"Me?" She asked.

"You've been in hospital all night just to find out if your dad's alright." Preston reminded her. "That can't have been great."

"I...I guess I'll be alright." She responded. "I'd be a lot happier if dad could come home, but if they say he needs to stay in hospital then I guess that's the best place for him to be."

"Well, you know where we are if you need anything." Preston answered.

"Thanks Presto." She answered. "So, how's everyone else?"

"Oh...yeah...that's something I was hoping I'd get a chance to talk to you about." Preston told her.

"What? What's happened?" Sarah asked, sounding a little panicked. "Did something happen after I left?"

"You...you could say that." Preston told her. "We found Trapsaw's last trap."

"Oh my God, is everyone alright?" Sarah rushed out. "Is anyone hurt? Is...?"

"Whoa! Hold on there!" Preston told her. "Um...maybe I should start again; I think I kind of did this badly. Um...everyone's alright, that is to say no one is hurt or anything, but Trapsaw's trap isn't the only thing we found."

"Oh? What did you find?" Sarah asked him.

"You might want to sit down for this." Preston told her.

"Preston, after today I don't think anything could surprise me." Sarah said, sounding exhausted.

"We found someone in the trap." He told her. "It's Aiden."

"Aiden?" She asked. It took a moment, but eventually it hit her who Aiden was and she fell backwards, sitting on her bed. "Aiden? AIDEN?"

"Yeah, it was kind of a surprise to us too." Preston told her. "I...should probably go over a few things with you before we meet up at the school tomorrow."

"Wow...I go off the grid for a few hours..." She muttered. "...what happened?"

FIN

 **A/N:** Well, there it is folks, Levi's introduction arc, which has led nicely into the next drama for the Rangers. Aiden's impact on the team deserves a story of its own, so rest assured, that's going to be starting soon. Hope you all liked the story and I promise the new one will start soon.


End file.
